Coiled
With our garden so baked and parched today that there was almost nothing moving in it, I ended up wandering back down to Tilly’s field to see what might be happening there, and found that the Skippers were still skipping … Continued
Emergency butterfly
I like to post at least one photo of a Meadow Brown each summer, and at least one photo of something or other feeding on our blue hebe. This year, in the interests of efficiency, I’ve combined them. Efficiency was … Continued
Treehopper
What do you mean, ugly? How very dare you?? I think she’s gorgeous. Or he. I have no idea how to tell the sex of one of these bugs, and given that most photos of them on line don’t mention … Continued
Bee grabber
My first thought when I spotted this was that it was some kind of hoverfly I’d never seen before, and it took me a few minutes to identify it as a conopid – though I don’t feel as silly as … Continued
Nymphomania
Ever since I first saw woundwort shieldbugs mating on the hedge woundwort, and then later spotted a little clutch of eggs, I’ve been waiting for the annual nymph nursery to appear. The interesting thing about woundwort shieldbugs is that the … Continued
Mindful moment
Having spent the morning researching mirrorless cameras (but reaching no firm conclusion), and the early part of the afternoon on essential domestic tedium, I didn’t get much time in the garden with the camera today. When I did make it … Continued
Attraction
It was a fairly dreary day, in more ways than one, though I did manage to get a few festering tasks off my books, so I suppose I should be glad about that at least. When I checked the garden … Continued