Weevil huddle
I was starting to worry that I might have posted a surfeit of roosting pairs of Oxystoma pomonae weevils over the past few weeks, so I went out into the garden this afternoon and found a quartet of them. Don’t … Continued
Teeth and claws
R and went to Croome this afternoon. The flooding that stopped us walking there with the family on Boxing Day has now gone, but it was still pretty damp and squelchy underfoot. It was also pretty cold, but a brisk … Continued
Winter sun
Having by now eaten our combined body weight in Christmas leftovers, today R and I found ourselves peering into a half-empty fridge. This, plus the fact that it had stopped raining after what felt like months, gave us all the … Continued
One perfect rose
I know it’s only two days since I was celebrating the fact that the solitary bees could be emerging just a couple of months from now, but I do find it worrying that my Iceberg rose is still flowering in … Continued
Solstice promise
The Shortest Day Susan Cooper (1935-) And so the Shortest Day came and the year died And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world Came people singing, dancing, To drive the dark away. They lighted candles in the winter … Continued
Sunday squirrel
It was a cold but bright morning, so R and I shaped ourselves, breakfasted quickly, and then went off to Croome for a walk. There’s a beautiful old plane tree close to the point at which the shrubbery walk reaches … Continued
Shepherdess
Oh, hello! You’re a gorgeous big fat chap! Oh! Chappess…. sorry! You are mahoosive though – who have you been eating? I hope it wasn’t my hawthorn shieldbug – it was round about here that I last saw it… No … Continued
Adorabubble
When I first came across a pair of Oxystoma pomonae roosting like this, I thought it was sweet but probably aberrant behaviour, but now I know that this is how these tiny weevils prefer to settle down for the winter. … Continued