Welcome signs of the changing season greet nature photographer Ray Roberts as he takes a local stroll this week.....

I have often wondered where the makers of television programmes like Country Watch, find such lovely woods to film in. The ones that I walk through are full of brambles and fallen trees. Mind you, the woods beside Golitha Falls on the River Fowey are fairly clean, in fact, this is where some of the fighting scenes for The Three Musketeers were filmed some years ago. If I remember correctly, this was a Walt Disney picture. I am looking forward to going out there again when I am permitted.

Trehunsey Bridge is not far from Quethiock and I went down for a walk along the wooded, scrubby bank of the River Tiddy. As usual whilst on a walk through woodland I have no idea as to what I might see and I was very surprised, and delighted, when a roe deer appeared from nowhere and ran across in front of me. I had time to take one picture and he was gone. It’s not worth trying to follow a deer as, after all, this is their environment and will know just where to hide.

On the way home I walked up the bridle path that is aptly named, Muddy Lane which leads up to Hepwell Farm. It was hard work and I was glad I wore my wellingtons. As I passed through the farm, I spotted a couple of white comfrey – Symphytum orientale - flowers on the weedy, grass bank. As with lots of others, this is another flower that will bloom early instead of waiting until spring.

We found another moth on the front door one morning last week. It was small, less that 2cms wide and it spent the day there but was gone the next. I think it was one of the Carpet moth family, but there are very many of them and their markings vary so much I could not give it a name. It was back for another kip on the front door a couple of days later.

I spotted some orange- coloured fungus growing on the cut end of a thin sycamore branch, that was still growing on a hedge. I can only think that it was Yellow brain fungus but, this is the first time I have seen it growing on a living sycamore tree, as dead deciduous tree branches are their usually habitat.

There are literally hundreds of snowdrops starting to open out on the hedges around Quethiock and I am waiting for a few days of dry, sunny weather, I am not holding my breath, for them to all fully open up. Snowdrops must be the best known and the most eagerly awaited flowers in the New Year as they send out the signal that spring is on its way.