I spent Tuesday at ‘home’ with Daughter-who-takes-photos and Son-in-law-and-friend-who-loves-otters. This decision was more than justified when the sun came out and we had a glorious day during which I could explore the plants and insects in their garden.
Misty approved of the decision and enjoyed my company though she pretended not to at times.
It’s been wet for weeks down here in Devon so it was the first chance D-w-t-p has had to mow the lawn.
I took this Speedwell before it disappeared with the hay crop.
My reputation for bringing the good weather is momentarily intact.
D-w-t-p and I hunted for Large Red Damselflies which were emerging today from their ponds. I’m trying to get used to her new haircut. (Polite way of saying I miss her long hair but then her great grandmother felt the same when Mum had her hair bobbed in the 1920s!).
A female Large Red Damselfly, newly emerged and pumping blood into its body as it dries out in the sunshine.
A male Large Red Damselfly.
A new species for me – the comparatively rare Woundwort Shield Bug (Eysacoris fabricii). These three were clustered together -it looks as though the bottom two are mating and the top one trying to intervene. The eternal triangle? This is my eleventh shield bug species. “Small things amuse small minds”, as they say.
Woundwort Shield Bugs mating.
The large Hawthorn Shield Bug is a fairly common species.
The Marsh Marigolds in the ponds provide two of the great splashes of colour in the garden.
They prove most attractive to the pollen beetles and little hoverflies.
A beautiful little leaf beetles shows its iridescent blue in the sunshine.
Flowering currant.
Public Enemy Number One – the Great Black Slug (Arion ater) awaiting th night-time before chomping its way through the plants.
A spell of pond-dippimg yielded both damselfly larva and dragonfly larva.
I hope you too are having sunny days.
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