Cwmbran Archive "The Corvine From Torfaen" Vol 2

A flock of goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis) gathering on wires off St Dial's Road; preparing for migrating south? I have never seen this number of goldfinches together before.

"Don't fence me in..." A Morrison's trolley dumped inside a fence at the Brookfield estate (Coed Cae). It is likely it has been wheeled across town by a resident and dumped here.

This is a small bag for cannabis; I believe it is referred to as a "£10 bag" from the cost of it. They are often printed with designs, here an Uzi sub machine gun presumably to impart a macho "gangsta rap" image; I have seen others with automatic pistols and also more childish designs like unicorns and teddy bears. Sad sign of the times that so many of these seem to be lying around isolated spots.

A dramatic cloud formation caught backlit by a starburst sun.

The old and the new. From the 1 July 2017, Cwmbran Shopping rebranded itself as Cwmbran Centre; new signs are starting to appear, replacing the old.

A flesh fly (Sarcophaga carnaria) on a vegetarian diet of blackberries ((Rubus fruticosus).

A buff tip moth caterpillar (Phalera bucephala ) on the pavement - nearly got stepped on!

Repair work following overnight rain. A garden spider (Araneus diadematus), probably the most common of spiders found in the garden, responsible for the classic orb shaped webs. Also known as cross spider, diadem spider and crowned orb-weaver spider.

A rain sodden fuchsia, already past its prime.