Conehead

A bit harsh, I think. OK, it is a bit cone-shaped, but I’m not sure it’s that much more pointy than the head of yesterday’s Meadow Grasshopper, and we’re certainly nowhere near Dan Ackroyd territory. But they didn’t ask me … Continued

Orange-vented Mason Bee

I found it very satisfying to step out of my front door this morning, take two steps across the lawn, and find this pretty female Orange-vented Mason Bee (Osmia leaiana) nectaring on the thistle I’ve left there. I wish I … Continued

Skipping

After a dreary morning, late this afternoon the sky suddenly brightened, and it warmed up by several degrees. Within a couple of minutes the black horehound patch, which had been virtually deserted, filled with competing bees, butterflies, and hoverflies, and … Continued