Author Archives: JDO

We had all the weather today: frost, snow, hail, biting north-westerly winds, and short spells of deceptively bright sunshine, which repeatedly tricked me into thinking that it was a good idea to go out looking for insects – only to … Continued

The weather is beginning to get me down now. It was another bitterly cold day, with dreadful light, and almost no insects on the wing. In fact I spotted a pair of female Andrena scotica, both with full pollen brushes, … Continued

If I’d known that this 2-spot ladybird was going to provide my favourite photo of the day, I’d have cleaned some of the dust bunnies off it when I rescued it from the kitchen sink, before moving it outside onto … Continued

At about 9.30 this morning R came and told me that the Orange Tip was still on the hazel twig in the wild garden, and that if I shifted myself there was a good opportunity for me to catch him … Continued

Baby B seems to be entering Leap 4, which caused a certain amount of alarm and distress today, not least in his grandparents, and is said to last a month. I’m sure it must help L and G to know … Continued

The saga continues. Not only did it freeze overnight: I got up to a dusting of snow, as well. There was surely no way, I decided, that the Orange Tip could have survived the night. But after R went down … Continued

I slept in this morning, and didn’t remember the Orange Tip until 9am, by which time I assumed that he’d long since have left his roost. And it was trying to snow, so I didn’t much fancy a walk down … Continued

Today’s two photos are the butterfly bookends of my day. This morning I put some lamb shanks to seethe in the slow cooker with white wine, lemon, onions, garlic, and mushrooms, and then went out to play. I was planning … Continued

It was another cold day, and this morning was drearily overcast as well, so I stayed at my desk, catching up with some processing. I had one eye on the garden though, and at about 3 o’clock it brightened, so … Continued

A neighbour told me a couple of days ago  that she’d seen a Peacock butterfly in her garden, and then asked if it’s the Domino that’s red with white spots. I ran a mental list of butterfly liveries and common … Continued