‘All creatures great and small’

The granite rocks and outcrops on the Isles of Scilly have sculpted many fantasy creatures:  such as

a prototype seal

and a truncated elephant!

Rotting tree stump

I came across this tree root beneath the hedgerow beside the bridle way.  At this time of the year, when the grass is comparatively inactive, all sorts of things become visible that are normally not noticed.  At a first cursory glance I was not sure what I had found  –  you can perhaps understand why!  It is, in fact, the rotting root of a hawthorn.  The photo has not been ‘doctored’, except that some of the growth around the trunk has been removed to show its shape more clearly.

Scilly Rocks 8

To the best of my knowledge this granite rock on St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly has no local name, but when I first saw it it became the ‘Mysterious Feline’, and so it has remained.  I apologise for the quality of the image  –  it was edited during the first wave of enthusiasm after I acquired Photoshop 7.  But I still feel the grittiness enhances the character.  Maybe that’s just an excuse!

Scilly Rocks 8

Scilly Rocks 7

In my introduction to Scilly Rocks 1 I mentioned the extraordinary granite outcrops on the Isles of Scilly.  This photo provides yet another example.  I recommend that you click the above link and, indeed, look in on the related images.  It is scarcely necessary to comment on the similarity of this rock formation to a giant tortoise.

Scilly Rocks 7

Scilly Rocks 6

Scilly Rocks 6

See also The Isles of Scilly, Scilly Rocks 1, Scilly Rocks 2, Scilly Rocks 3, Scilly Rocks 4, Scilly Rocks 5, Pebble Tower

Scilly Rocks 4

Scilly Rocks 4

See also  The Isles of Scilly, Scilly Rocks 1, Scilly Rocks 2, Scilly Rocks 3, Scilly Rocks 5, Scilly Rocks 6,  Pebble Tower

Scilly Rocks 3. ET

ET

See also The Isles of Scilly, Scilly Rocks 1, Scilly Rocks 2, Scilly Rocks 4, Scilly Rocks 5, Scilly Rocks 6, Pebble Tower

Scilly Rocks 2

Scilly Rocks 2

See also The Isles of Scilly, Scilly Rocks 1, Scilly Rocks 3, Scilly Rocks 4, Scilly Rocks 5, Scilly Rocks 6, Pebble Tower

Scilly Rocks 1

In addition to their natural beauty and evidence of earlier cultures  –  such as the standing stone on Gugh and various cysts and burial chambers from the Bronze Age  –  the Isles have an air of mystery about them.  Especially St Agnes.  Granite outcrops suggest strange creatures from a fantasy or mythological world  –  giant lizards, serpents, turtles, birds of prey  ………   You are never alone on St Agnes!

Scilly Rock 1

See also The Isles of Scilly,Scilly Rocks 2, Scilly Rocks 3, Scilly Rocks 4, Scilly Rocks 5, Scilly Rocks 6, Pebble Tower