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S A Lomas Pencil Artist

Nature

Images of nature at its finest.

Common Garden Snail - Helix Aspersa...

The common garden snail is found in Britain and Europe. They are herbivores and feed on decaying vegetation, algae, fungi, lichens and plant leaves. As a part of their herbivorous diet they often feed on garden plants and are considered by some to be pests. It is a pity they can not be genetically modified to only eat weeds then they could really be a true gardeners friend. I actually like snails but I like my new little spring bedding plants too and the two just don’t seem to mix. Still they make a very cute photo so happy munching snail.

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Cherry Blossom...

—From the movie The Last Samurai—
A perfect blossom is a rare thing.
You could spend your life looking for one.
And it would not be a wasted life.

The Cherry Blossom often heralds the arrival of spring, and is one of the most beautiful and delicate sights to behold. Cherry Blossom is so popular that festivals are celebrated in its honour. The intense beauty and short survival span have associated Cherry Blossoms with spiritual and philosophical ideas such as the beauty and fragility of human life.

The cherry blossom (sakura) is Japan's unofficial national flower. It has been celebrated for many centuries and takes a very prominent position in Japanese culture.

To honour its beauty, and short life span, the Japanese celebrate its arrival with a yearly festival. Friends will gather under the trees to enjoy sake (rice wine), sing songs, and celebrate the coming of spring.

To the Japanese, this tree represents more than just ascetic beauty, but also transience, melancholy, and the honour of graceful resignation. One can find many references to the cherry blossom in Japanese poetry and literature. The trees have also been offered by Japan as symbols of peace to the countries of the world.

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Purple Periwinkle...

The deep lilac flower of the trailing periwinkle offset by its variegated foliage, makes this plant a most attractive addition to my garden.

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Dandelion...

The name dandelion is derived from the Old French, dent-de-lion, which is literally "lion's tooth", referring to the sharply lobed leaves of the plant. A dandelion flower head consists of many tiny flowers.
Does the dandelion however deserve to be simply considered a weed? I think not. In this photo the humble dandelion looks majestic with it’s lion’s head mane of yellow petals. Not a weed surely - just a beautiful wild flower.
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Sunny Yellow Daffodils...

Beautiful sunny yellow daffodils to brighten up any day. They always make me smile when I see them. They make me think of children clutching bunches of these bright blooms as gifts for Mother's Day and of course - Wordsworth.
Wordsworth’s famous poem about daffodils was composed in 1804, two years after he saw the flowers walking by Ullswater on a stormy day with Dorothy. His inspiration for the poem came from an account written by Dorothy. In her journal entry for 15th April 1802 she describes how the daffodils:
"tossed and reeled and danced, and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind, that blew upon them over the lake;"
Wordsworth published his poem, 'I wandered lonely as a Cloud' , in 1807. He later altered it, and his second version, published in 1815, is the one widely known today.
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Spring Blossom...

When we finally spy delicate blossoms busting forth we finally know spring is here at last.
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Full To The Brim...

This is Rivington Reservoir full to overflowing. They may not have any water down South but we are doing nicely up North thank you. So the Southners may laugh at us with our umbrellas while they bask in the sunshine but we Northeners get to use our hosepipes. So every downpour has its upside wouldn't you say?
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Last Leaves of Autumn...

This photo was taken in the Lake District across Thirlmere Lake on a glorious sunny November day. Mad as both me and the boyfriend are we had decided to go camping in the tent on the last day of the season. This beautiful day was given birth by the fact that it was freezing the night before. It is not much fun crunching through the ice to the toilet in sub zero temperatures in the middle of the night I can tell you. Still it was worth it for the sun in the morning. I love the subtle colours in this photo both of the tress and the lake. If you look closely at the branches in the foreground you can see the last few leaves hanging on in there.
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Golden Day...

This photo was taken on one of those rare gloriously sunny autumn days. No editing of colours was done on this photo the sky was that blue and the leaves really that yellow. I find the contrast of these colours stunning.
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Ye Old Oak...

This gnarly old oak tree defied the laws of gravity by making this precarious rock face its home. Fantastic!
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Sand Dunes In Cornwall...

Sand dunes in Cornwall. Perfect white sand. Don't you just want to bury your toes in it? I know I do. I like this photo because I think the contrasts between the texture of the spiky grasses and the soft smooth sand has worked really well.
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Swan...

Swan in Central Park New York. Displaying the typical graceful arched neck. The whiteness of the plumage I found breathtaking.
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