Nature images by Michael Holland | Photo Gallery — Growing Understandings

A few visual treats

These have been taken or made by me over the years & link to the natural world in some way.

Other image collections (of which I’m proud) can be found on Flickr here as well as on my Instagram page feed which you can see here.

🎨 I’m excited to celebrate my #ArtistOfTheMonth…Sarah Lorrimer-Riley! 🌿 Former colleague at Chelsea Physic Garden & excellent friend, Sarah’s art delves into the interplay between nature & our inner worlds. Her work, char

My #SpeciesOfTheWeek is Gunnera (aka Giant Rhubarb) a remarkable genus of 63 species variously native to Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Papuasia, Hawaii, Southeast Asia & Africa.
The UK Government is taking action against it to safeguard

It’s Tamil New Year’s Day (Puthandu), so tonight’s Halenders Show consists entirely of songs with the word ‘New’ in their titles. I’ve included songs by Carter USM, Kirsty MacColl, Dua Lipa, Halsey, Rush, Pink Floy

Today is National Gardening Day here in the UK and I'm really excited to announce my forthcoming new book 'The Little Gardener's Handbook', which is out on April 25th 2024, published by @bigpicturepress
As you can see from these sample pages, it's b

My #SpeciesOfTheWeek is Equus caballus 🏇From ancient steppes to modern stables, horses have galloped through history, evolving over millions of years. Did you know horses have roots tracing back to prehistoric times? They've undergone remarkable tra

Thinking inside the box?

🌱 Because they are in flower in our garden right now, my #SpeciesOfTheWeek are Muscari (aka Grape Hyacinths).🌿 The Muscari genus originated in the Old World, spanning from the Mediterranean to parts of Europe, Africa, & Asia. It’s even fo

After a rather rocky start, I’ll (musically) move to stones & then sand before playing 4 songs that are actually 2 songs. Expect Survivor, Badly Drawn Boy, Belinda Carlisle, MGMT, 5th Dimension, Carpenters, Midlake & more. Broadcasting

My #SpeciesOfTheWeek is, of course The Easter Bunny (Leporavus paschalis). 🐇Often associated with Easter festivities, it has roots in ancient pagan traditions & later Christian symbolism. It’s believed that the rabbit’s association w

A bumblebee feeding from a daisy-family flower at London’s amazing Chelsea Physic Garden. [This would certainly have been taken using my lovely 100mm macro lens and a Canon EOS DSLR camera (and a steady hand).] — A bumblebee feeding from a daisy-family flower at London’s amazing Chelsea Physic Garden.
[This would certainly have been taken using my lovely 100mm macro lens and a Canon EOS DSLR camera (and a steady hand).]

Ctenium concinnum, also known as Sickle Grass

I took this picture in Swaziland’s wonderful Malolotja Nature Reserve in 1993, where myself and 5 others from the UK were carrying out a vegetation survey there. It was a magical few months and this is one of thousands of images from that expedition. More info on this Southern African grass can be found here: https://wildflowernursery.co.za/indigenous-plant-database/ctenium-concinnum-2/
[Taken using a 35mm Olympus OM series film camera on Kodak T-max film.]

Douglas Fir in Bryce Canyon, Utah, USA

This Douglas Fir tree (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is growing from deep within the unbelievably beautiful Bryce Canyon National Park in the American state of Utah.
It struck me as a true survivor when I saw this on an epic road trip in the summer of 1992.

[Shot with an Olympus OM series camera on Fuji Velvia slide film.]

KL map1.jpg — KL Map

Taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in about 2002, this is not actually a map. Have a closer look. It’s paint on a handrail, worn away over time - on the way up to a Hindu temple at Batu Caves. This is one of several hundred images of this type I have captured all over the world over the years.
‘Wear in the World’ is the name of this side project which brings to light that some of the same factors that act upon small painted surfaces appear to be the same as some of those acting on continents and landmasses.

Micro lawn

A closeup of the Birmingham City Council and Baroness Floella Benjamin garden display at the 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Small scenes on a chamomile lawn.

This image was taken in my old back garden back in 2003- about 2 metres from the back door I crouched in my pajamas, with macro lens on the Olympus OM series film camera (old school)- holding my breath so as to capture the shot without too much movement of my own (the Web was doing plenty of its own - only millimetres, but it all makes a difference to these things). It is a garden spider (Araneus diadematus) -also known as the 'cross spider' - wrapping up a shield bug in silk to suck dry later.

This image depicts one of approximately 600 species of spiders in the British Isles and one of 44 species of shield bugs (their foods are sap and leaves).
This is a depiction of just one of the millions of meals taking place in our neighbourhoods all the time.
A given weight of spider silk is five times as strong as the same weight of steel. Reasonably successful attempts to synthesise it have included inserting the silk gene into goats and then extracting the silk from the goat's milk then spinning this to combine the single stands as a spider does with its spinnerets which did sort of work was not commercially viable.

Spiders fall into several groups including hunters and those that spin webs such as the one pictured. There are even species that create underwater webs.

Taken mid-morning on 29th December 2016 in Epping Forest, near The Hollow Pond. This image shows the mist created as the morning frost melts and rises up as it evaporates. I’d had to go to Whipps Cross hospital for some reason and decided walking th… — Taken mid-morning on 29th December 2016 in Epping Forest, near The Hollow Pond. This image shows the mist created as the morning frost melts and rises up as it evaporates. I’d had to go to Whipps Cross hospital for some reason and decided walking the 30 minutes home was a good idea and I am very glad I did.