Cheerful
You’d think from the light here that it was a nice day, but it wasn’t. We had a lot of gloom, and a couple of fierce rain storms, but there was a brief period this afternoon when the sky lifted … Continued
Beauty and the beast
Today brought me two firsts. The main image shows the first Great Pied Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) I’ve seen this year – a fresh and pristine male, so gorgeous that I let out an audible “Oooh!” of appreciation when I first … Continued
Guard duty
Male Four-spotted Chasers don’t hover much – they tend to spend their time alternately chasing about after females and rivals, and perching on favoured stems or leaves from which they can keep watch for females or rivals entering their territory. … Continued
Rabbit ears
It’s not particularly uncommon, though the Shire is probably towards the northern and western end of its range, and this specimen is a bit battered, but the sight of a Chrysotoxum hoverfly always lifts my spirits. All of them are … Continued
Soldiering on
If I told you how many photos I took of these soldier beetles on the riverbank in Stratford today, in order to achieve precisely one that was in focus, you’d probably laugh. I’d have to admit that it wasn’t one … Continued
Celebratory
I’ve had the insurance claim form for a cancelled trip on my desk for nearly a month now, and every day I’ve managed to find reasons for avoiding tackling it. Today it finally hit the top of my to-do list, … Continued
