With England’s big day looming, Gordon offers a special selection to whet the appetite

A veritable cornucopia from ace photographer Gordon Ridgewell as a little hors d’oeuvre in preparation for England’s date with football destiny on Sunday.
The man from Littlebury rarely misses an opportunity to strike with the lens and we present here the results from his latest wanderings… as ever, Gordon has a tale behind the picture to relate.

“The dog was asking to go out to the garden about 6.15 this morning. Still in my PJs, I picked up some clippers just to snip a few long shoots off the plants while I was waiting.
“I heard the red kite calling so rushed in to get a camera but too late. I started to call/whistle, one long and three short, and it came back to investigate. I got just one shot, but the look on its face says ‘Not him again!’.

“Just been along the road and the hemlock is everywhere. It can be identified by the purple spots on the stalks.”

“Sunshine today and the butterflies are about. I can’t believe I captured this small tortoiseshell on a mobile phone – it appears to be much better for close-ups than a real camera.”

“I just had a ride round the lanes and captured a few wildflower pics…”