Latest news with #poppies
Times
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Giant panda celebrates her birthday — and other news in pictures
After a hot and dry spell, poppies appear amid clover and wheat at Castle Howard near Malton, North Yorkshire, overlooked by a pyramid designed in 1728 by Nicholas Hawksmoor TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES GLOSSOP The Dead Parrot and Bird Cage from a Monty Python sketch is part of an auction at Propstore in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, to July 20. It features more than 65 original lots from the troupe's 2014 stage show ANDREW MATTHEWS/PA SGA MEDIA/PA Emmanuel Sabbi celebrates scoring for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the first half of a Major League Soccer match against Los Angeles FC on Sunday KYUSUNG GONG/AP MICHAEL PROBST/AP The Roman sky is illuminated by the Pinwheel of Castel Sant'Angelo, a firework display which has marked the feast of the Italian capital's patron saints, St Peter and St Paul, since 1481 XINHUA/SHUTTERSTOCK Migrants run at first light to board a small boat arriving from further down the coast in Gravelines, France MARCIN NOWAK/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES RICHARD A BROOKS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES The Empire State Building illuminates in rainbow colours to mark New York City Pride, as seen between the towers of Hudson Yards from Hudson County, New Jersey GARY HERSHORN/GETTY IMAGES A dancing pilgrim dresses as the devil in a representation of the battle between good and evil as the Corpus Christi festival comes to a close in Panama MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES An owl wards the seagulls off the grass at Murray Mound on the first day of the Wimbledon Championships GLYN KIRK/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Diana Galindo Rodriguez poses in front of the Capitol in Washington before her wedding KEN CEDENO/REUTERS The actor Richard Gere greets the Dalai Lama on the Tibetan leader's 90th birthday according to the lunisolar calendar on Monday, at Tsuglagkhang temple in Himachal Pradesh, northern India. His birthday according to the Gregorian calendar is this Sunday ASHWINI BHATIA/AP The stilt-walkers Quadrilha de Gigantes perform at the traditional Festa Junina celebration at the São Cristóvão Fair in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil TITA BARROS/REUTERS The South Korean rapper Psy opens his latest Summer Swag tour in Incheon, near Seoul, on June 28 ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES BEN BIRCHALL/PA
Irish Times
28-06-2025
- Science
- Irish Times
Eye on Nature: If bees can't see red, why is one drawn to this red poppy?
I saw this red poppy with a bumblebee inside. I always thought that bees couldn't see red and so never visited red flowers. This bee seems very busy inside this one. J Rushe, Co Clare You are right: bees cannot see the colour red; their eyes don't see colours at that end of the spectrum. But at the other end, the ultraviolet end, they see very well. There are well-defined markings in ultraviolet in poppies and this is what attracts bees in to seek for food. Interestingly, the same species of poppy in the Middle East does not have these UV markings, and there they are pollinated by beetles. Linnet. Photograph supplied by S Woods What is this bird that I saw perched on a grass stalk in Irishtown Nature Reserve in early June? There were loads of them there. S Woods, Dublin This is a linnet, which has become quite uncommon because the intensification of our grasslands for cattle has greatly reduced the biodiversity of species found there. Linnets feed on a variety of seeds, especially thistles, and the use of herbicides and hedge removal has also contributed to their decline. Irishtown Nature Reserve is an excellent habitat for them and shows the value of such places. READ MORE Box tree caterpillar. Photograph supplied by C Birch The bush near where I live is covered in caterpillars, which are eating all the leaves. They seem to produce sheets of webs as well. This is a close-up of one caterpillar. C Birch, Dublin This is the box tree caterpillar, which can decimate any species of Buxus – the species used in box hedging, which will grow into a sizeable bush if not clipped. This species of moth was first recorded here in 2017 and has spread rapidly since, to the detriment of box hedges. The cherry ermine moth has also been busy this summer, defoliating species of flowering cherries and covering them with webs too. Whole cherry trees can be affected, as was one in Dublin's Herbert Park, among others. Bee swarms. Photograph supplied by Fred Fitzsimons There were two swarms of bees side by side hanging from a cherry tree in my garden here in Carrickmacross. They appeared at the same time. The big one is 12-15 inches long. Does this mean that two queens left the hive at the same time? They were recovered by a beekeeper. Fred Fitzsimons, Co Monaghan The old resident queen who has overwintered in the hive will leave with a swarm if the hive gets too full, leaving the about-to-hatch new queens to fight to the death for the queenship of the vacated hive. There is only ever one resident queen bee in a hive. The swarm, with the queen inside, can cluster on a convenient tree waiting for its scouts to return with information of a suitable place to take up future residence. Two swarms with two different queens from two different hives coincidentally used this halting site at the same time. The weather was really good in May and bee numbers increased enormously. Coots at UCD. Photograph supplied by M Bell Coots are breeding on the pond in UCD, the most recent one beside the law school. They have at least two young. M Bell, Co Wicklow Build it (or in this case, excavate it) and they will come. This – the most recent UCD lake – was constructed in 2013, replacing an existing car park, and is a haven for biodiversity. Coots prefer shallow water with lots of bottom vegetation for feeding, with reed beds and other waterside plants for nesting cover. The male brings the nesting material (dead water plants) and the female arranges it and lays the eggs. Please submit your nature query, observation, or photo, with a location, via or by email to weekend@
Daily Mail
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Desperate locals demand 'flower cops' to patrol park after kids trample over beloved poppy fields at Cornish landmark
For a few weeks each summer it is one of Britain's most Instagrammable spots but as remote poppy fields on the Cornish coast burst into flower, selfish selfie-hunters have been accused of trampling the plants and threatening locals. In the last few years, visitors have been treated to stunning scenery with acres of spectacular red blooms on National Trust land overlooking the azure blue ocean. But a surge of photos posted on social media has drawn tens of thousands more visitors every year. Now, ageing residents in the tiny village of West Pentire, Cornwall, say they have almost given up asking visitors not to climb among the poppies - despite obvious signage - because it so often leads to aggressive confrontations. The problem has become so bad in recent weeks that dozens of frustrated locals have shared pictures of visitors trampling poppies and threatened to create Dad's Army-style patrols to ensure they follow the rules. One local said: 'Maybe we need to set up a GoFundMe for patrols.' Richard Greenwood, 80, a retired consultant physician, said: 'The poppies attract a lot of people, the last five or six years we have had these magnificent displays. 'But then people started to come and the numbers have been going up each year. I am keen to preserve it but now I have really lost heart. 'I used to speak to people who were trampling the poppies and letting their dogs run around and taking photos of their kiddies and tell them it's damaging it for everybody else. 'A few people got quite aggressive, lots of ''F words'', people just think they're entitled to do whatever they want. 'At my stage in life I don't need that. 'A couple of years ago the National Trust which owns the fields started putting up ropes and signs. They are much better this year but they probably went up about two weeks too late so people have already trodden paths which others think it's fine to follow.' Artist Sally Blackford, 78, added: 'I love the sight of the poppies, I paint them and I love all the wild flowers. 'Most people respect this very special and beautiful place but people want their photo opportunities and they don't care if they break down the fences and hedges to get them. The National Trust has installed signs to tell visitors about the wonderful landscape 'It's people of all ages but especially those with small children. 'When we point out the damage they are doing they just say 'well somebody went over before us', they just blame other people. 'The signage is so good and so clear but people don't think it applies to them, I don't know what will stop them. 'It's a great shame because it's there for everybody to enjoy but what these people are doing is spoiling it.' When MailOnline visited this week, we found families of all ages ignoring the clear warning signs urging them to stay on the path and scrambling over centuries-old stone walls and under rope boundaries to get amongst the poppies. One young couple with their pet dog blatantly ignored rules to snap a quick photo crouching among the poppies with Crantock Bay in the background, another family asked strangers to help to scale a stone wall in order to get amongst the poppies. John Sleep, 86, says he has taken to repairing ancient stone walls every day after tourists carelessly damaged them in pursuit of the perfect shot among the flowers. He said: 'Since this started we have walked down there every day, I find it annoying because all the locals here like to respect the headland and we want to keep that up. 'Almost every day I tell people to get out and the response is almost always the same, the tracks were there before and they're not doing any damage. 'It's got to the point where even visitors are commenting on the bad behaviour of others. 'The hedges are worn and broken in seven or eight places because people want to make a vantage point for their camera. 'It's not just them, it's them and their pets or their children sitting in the poppies. Somebody has taken a photo and put it on Facebook and they want to recreate exactly the same picture, it's sheep behaviour really. It's quite sad.' Caterer Sonya Rogers, 50, said: 'I have seen a lot of people going into the fields even though the signs are pretty clear.
Times
07-05-2025
- General
- Times
Tower of London surrounded by poppies lit up to mark VE Day
At the stroke of 9pm, an expectant hush fell upon the Tower of London. A bell tolled the hour and the ravens crowed as they flew about their domain. It was not a designated moment of silence but a beat of poignancy before the band struck up. Then, to the sound of American swing, the White Tower turned red as 30,000 poppies were illuminated. The veterans looked on from their wheelchairs, wrapped in blankets against the chilly night. In the crowd too were young cadets and, soon after the formalities were over, the youngsters ran off through the grounds to get a better look. The ceramic poppies were reused from a poignant design from 2014 TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE The Queen viewed the installation on Tuesday before the poppies were illuminated STEFAN ROUSSEAU/PA It was a dazzling end to an evening that, like most other VE Day commemorations this week, had balanced poignant remembrance
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Queen Camilla dons her poppies as she walks through a sea of red and admires 30,000 ceramic flowers
There were already 30,000 ceramic poppies on display - but Queen Camilla brought a few more with her. The royal, 77, sported a pair of eye-catching black leather gloves embellished with the red flowers, along with a a red wool crepe dress by Fiona Clare and black cape, as she visited the Tower of London. 'It was so cold this morning I thought it would be the perfect time to wear them,' she said. She also admired the poppy new display at the Tower of London to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War. Camilla toured the striking installation, The Tower Remembers, which represents a 'wound' across the inner walls of the fortress, symbolising the enduring sacrifices made during the conflict. Poppies flow down the side of the White Tower, where a frozen 'splash' of the blood-red flowers begins a cascade of poppies through the heart of the fortress, before emerging under St Thomas's Tower. The Tower, which is run by the charity Historic Royal Palaces, still bears the marks of the bombings which killed five people, including a Yeoman Warder during the Blitz. Camilla then walked through a Guard of Honour formed of six Yeoman Warders, and was led onto the lawn to inspect the new installation by project lead Tom O'Leary. There was cheering and applause from the crowd of tourists watching from behind a cordon, and one man shouted: 'God save the King! We all love Camilla! Give us a wave!' The Queen met Yeoman Warder Tracey Machin, along with her son Harrison, five, and D-Day veterans Henry Rice, 99, a former Royal Navy signalman and Richard Aldred, a tank driver in the Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. 'It's very nice to see you,' she told the veterans, 'Not too cold?' Richard handed the Queen a ceramic poppy, while Henry presented one to Harrison and they paused while Poet Laureate Simon Armitage read out a specially commissioned VE 80 poem, In Retrospect, before planting each of the flowers into the ground to complete the installation. Speaking afterwards Henry Rice said: 'Last year I went to Normandy and had the pride and pleasure of meeting His majesty and Her Majesty. I said to her quietly, 'We met last year', she said, 'Yes, I know' and that that is fabulous. 'I mean, why should she remember me?' He described the King and Queen as 'A gentleman and his lady,' adding 'That's truly the best compliment I can pay to both of because that's exactly how I feel about them, and I'm speaking truthfully as well.'He said of the installation, 'Each one of those poppies represents a man that gave his life to allow me, my family, this country, in fact, to live in peace and comfort. 'I don't go around thinking of men that gave their lives and all that sort of thing. But then suddenly, when you're in a situation, you're sitting quietly, or you're out walking in the park, and suddenly it comes into your mind, and you realise exactly what these men did, how I really do thank them, and they are my heroes, all of them. Those that are alive even. 'I was in the Royal Navy, on board ship. These men then left my ship. I was on landing ships, and they ran up the beach into a hail of bullets and everything, and I sat quietly on my ship. 'They were so brave, but I don't know whether I could do it.' The new display, which is open to the public until November 11, uses poppies created for the 2014 installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which saw the Tower encircled by a sea of more than 880,000 ceramic flowers. The 30,000 in use this year are among 40,000 that were bought for the nation by philanthropists Dame Vivienne Duffield and Dame Susie Sainsbury after the original installation and donated to the Imperial War Museum.
