Surprisingly some plants are still producing fresh seeds in January, much later than most of their neighbours. This is Himalayan Balsam, a successful scourge of the river edge, so clearly this strategy works for some.

January may appear to be our bleakest month. It is however a good month to enjoy the subtle shades of algae, moss and lichen, and appreciate the dramatic lighting of a moody winter sky.

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Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > A January dusk is a wonderful time to appreciate that trees shorn of their leaves can still be elegant. However this was this giant's last season, since within weeks it was felled..

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > Last season's rushes have dried and now form strange woven sculptures by the banks of the Crane.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > A mild January encourages fresh grass shoots on the Twickenham Rifle Range to begin to reach for the sky.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > The January colours of a decaying log in the Craneford Triangle.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > Melting snow drips onto gossamer, as a typically mild January day follows an overnight snow fall.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > Surprisingly some plants are still producing fresh seeds in January, much later than most of their neighbours. This is Himalayan Balsam, a successful scourge of the river edge, so clearly this strategy works for some.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > The buds of many trees are forming in January and waiting for the right moment to burst forth. These are the buds of a Wild Plum.

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk) > A strand of weed is frozen underneath a cap of ice on the Crane Park Island Millenium Pond.

Surprisingly some plants are still producing fresh seeds in January, much later than most of their neighbours. This is Himalayan Balsam, a successful scourge of the river edge, so clearly this strategy works for some.