The maximum temperature here today 23⁰C, minimum 13⁰C. Lots of rain over the past week - 79 mm. Wind 14km/h North Westerly winds with gusts up to 40 km/h. More rain forecast.
Love in a Mist (Nigella damascena). Californian poppies in the background.
Hoverfly next to the Rhododendron flower.
Dog roses (Rosa canina). They are wild here, but we have them growing vigorously in one of the cotoneaster shrubs
Viola (Violaceae family).
Chafer beetle (Oxythyrea funesta).
Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis)... spot that new tail!
As above...
As above. She looks like she might well be pregnant!
Black vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus). I think, or Dark Vader from outer space.
I was about to throw these roses out that were in a vase in the house, (they had survived 2 weeks so they had done very well), and then I spotted an intruder.
Eurasian Running Crab Spider (Philodromus dispar)...
As above...
As above...
As above.
Rose plus longhorn beetle...
Longhorn beetle possibly a male (Stenocorus cursor).
Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera).
Shield Bug (Graphosoma Italicum)...
As above...
As above.
Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae).
As above...
As above.
Potatoes growing well.
and a climbing rose.
Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.
My local list of wildflowers. (91 Species 20/06/2021).
See also my
The colours in the floral photos are so vivid. Love the insects too. I cannot manage any insect photos with my camera. I really appreciate these.
ReplyDeleteLooking for insects seems to be my pastime these days. I am lucky my zoom lens works well on most small creatures.
DeleteI hope that all is well in your part of the world. Diane
Superb series of captures Diane, your garden abounds with photogenic flora and fauna. 23C sounds pretty good to me right now, it has been exceptionally cold here the last few days, we're definitely not used to cold 😊 Take care 💜
ReplyDeleteI prefer the weather around 25C but so long as it does not go too far under 20C during the day I can survive 😉 Cold I hate and I will never get used to it!!. Keep safe Diane
DeleteHi Diane - those are all exceptional photos - I love 'Love in the Mist' ... but the insects, the flowers and your garden - all stunning to see. Enjoy your gardening ... and we're having lots of rain now too - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteInteresting selection of flowers around the garden from mixed packets of seed and they all attract different insects. Sadly there is also an interesting selection of weeds in the garden as well after so much rain and it is too muddy to get into the garden to remove them! Keep safe, cheers Diane
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI love your pretty flowers, butterflies and insect photos. Take care, enjoy your day!
Thanks so much for the comment and the visit, always appreciated. Have a great week,Diane
DeleteI never cease to be impressed by your coverage of insects, Diane, and the fact that you are able to identify so many of them. And the really great thing is that even during the depths of the pandemic when restrictions were at their most stringent, the backyard contained so many of them. I guess that sometimes wilderness is where you find it! Enjoy the summer. It is already getting too hot for me, but I suspect that it is right up your alley. I think I will have to find a corner of the world where summer temperatures never exceed 23 and move there! Gros bisous de ton ami David au Canada.
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup David. I miss the insects in winter but that is when we have most birds so I guess I cannot complain. On the other hand we do not have the biting insects in winter which appear to take a fancy to me in summer!! I never had this problem in RSA, the bugs there preferred Nigel now it seems the other way around 😥.
DeleteI do not like it when it reaches 40C as it did the other day, but up to 35 I quite enjoy, cold I just cannot handle!!
Take care and best wishes to you both. Diane
I wish you could send some of that rain my way. So dry with many fires. Viola my favorite.
ReplyDeleteHi Gaelyn, I also love the violas but they are spreading faster than I can control at present, so far they have not started popping up all over the lawn which is full of weeds. In fact I would prefer them there to the weeds!
DeleteHave a good week and take care. Hugs from us both. Nigel and Diane
Absolute perfection! I always love your photos of both flowers and wildlife. Stunning photographs Diane! Enjoy the rest of your week and all the best :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind comment Denise, much appreciated. I hope that all is well in your part of the world. Diane
DeleteThat opening shot of the Love in a Mist is an absolute WOW, Diane! Flowers, insects, lizards - what more could I ask for?! What a wonderful insect that Shieldbug is too.
ReplyDeleteTake good care. My very best wishes to you both - - - Richard
Thanks Richard, now if the Love in a Mist had of had a bug on it as well...... I am finding that insects and wild life in general are hard to find this year, normally it is fairly easy, perhaps they do not like the weather any more than we do at present. One minute it is 40C then the next I have a track suit on to keep warm!!
DeleteI hope that all is well with you both, best wishes and have a great weekend, Diane
Beautiful flowers, some are new to me. I love the shot with the bee hovering in mid air. Great macro shots of the insects. Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great weekend as well Nancy, I hope you soon come out of lockdown. Best wishes Diane
DeleteWhat a contrast - the blue against the orange - sure makes for a striking photo.
ReplyDeleteThat first photo seems to be very popular. Hope all is well over there. Cheers Diane
DeleteYou always have the most beautiful pictures of flowers and others, love the butterflies too!
ReplyDeleteTake care, hugs and love!
Thanks Gloria for the visit and the kind comment. Have a great weekend and keep safe, Diane
DeleteGreat photos but my favorite is the first. I love the beautiful colors on the flowers, what a striking and beautiful combination.
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen for the visit, that first photo has been very popular 😊
DeleteI hope that all is well in your part of the world. Take care Diane
You outdid yourself with these photos, beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Thanks Amelia for the kind comment and I am glad you enjoyed the photos.
DeleteKeep safe and stay well Diane
Gorgeous photos. I'm envying your temperature. We are in a blistering heat wave here for almost 2 weeks. We went from cold and raining to breaking heat records. Late this week it's supposed to cool down to high 80s, low 90s Farenheit. I hope thevrestbif your summer is a good one.
ReplyDeleteOKAY>>>>>WOW>>>>WOW>>>>>WOW....your pics are amazing.
ReplyDelete