Halteres are the vestigial hind wings of flies, and are believed to act as balance organs. I’ve never found an explanation as to why in Melanostoma scalare they’re sometimes (though not always) green, but it’s a peculiarity that as far as … Continued
We had a leisurely breakfast with H this morning, before he headed off for lunch with a friend en route back to the Frozen North. I tried very hard to remember that he’s a functional adult, with a career that … Continued
Is it just me, or are the starlings drawing a starling here? Assuming you can see them – it was virtually dark when I took this photo, which is the last of my keepers from this evening. There’s something strange … Continued
The end of an era. I’m finding this moving and comforting.
I know that I’m in danger here of falling foul of my own rule about not blogging Christmas before the beginning of December, but provided I don’t mention that this plant has been associated with Christmas since the C16th in … Continued
It being a number of years (46) since I took A-level Biology, I was checking on the interwebs to be sure that I understood the reproductive anatomy of this flower correctly, and found one page that was especially factual and … Continued
AOG, Day 8 The heats of the 100cm Speed Feed (Bees, Female) took place this morning at a new venue for the Games: a clump of hemp agrimony by the Wildlife Pond, which has come into flower at just the … Continued
Yes – hello to you too. You didn’t have to stand on top of the rosemary and wave at me, actually: I’d already spotted you. The first site I checked for invertebrates today was this large rosemary bush, which is … Continued
This is what happens on a day when I can’t go out looking for wild things to stalk: I get bored, and then I start with the fartnarkling. To be fair, these lilies are in a pretty tired state now, … Continued
