Sunday, July 27, 2025

26/07/2025 - Oh dear now the end of July and I have still June to blog

The maximum temperature in the Charente today is 24⁰C, minimum 14⁰C.   19 - 38 km/h North/West winds.  It was supposed to rain today, but it never happened.  The heat wave returns next week again and the garden is struggling.

Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) Syrphe ceinturé.
Wildflower Cut-leaved Crane's-bill (Geranium dissectum) Géranium à feuilles découpées.

Large-flower-Orlaya (Orlaya grandiflora) Orlaya à grandes fleurs.

Not the best photo, but swallows outside our kitchen window. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Hirondelle rustique.

Field Bumble Bee (Bombus pascuorum) Bourdon des champs.

Common Globetail Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria script) Syrphe porte-plume.

Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) Moro-sphinx.

Thick Legged Hoverfly (Syritta pipiens) Syrphe à pattes épaisses.

Top Left – Pink Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damascene) Cheveux-de-Vénus
Central - is the seed pod of the Nigella.
Top Right - Jackman's Clematis (clematis x jackmanii) Clématite Jackmanii.
Bottom left - Tomato flower - Fleur de tomate
Bottom Centre - a pale Pink Love-in-a-Mist.
Bottom Right - Birds foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) Lotier corniculé plus a bee.

Cricket-bat Orbweaver (Mangora acalypha) Mangore petite-bouteille.

Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) Petite tortue ou Vanesse de l'ortie....

As above

Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) Corneille noire.

Bee fly (Bombylius cruciatus) Bombyle agité

Striped Wood Mallow (Malva sylvestris) Grande Mauve.

Bee fly (Bombylius cruciatus) Bombyle agité.

Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) Tournesol.
Courtesy of the birds dropping seed in the garden!

Brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) Citron papillon....

As above.

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) Cuivré commun ou Bronzé.

Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) en Europe l’Hespérie du dactyle et au Canada l’Hespérie des graminées,

Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) Moro-sphinx.

Small White butterfly or Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) Piéride de la rave.

Plume Moth (Capperia) Genus

Thyreus is an Old World genus of bees , one of many that are commonly known as cuckoo bees, or cloak-and-dagger bees, and are kleptoparasites of other species... This was as far as I got with ID, but what a pretty bee...

As above...

As above.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) Bourdon Terrestre

Field Bumble Bee (Bombus pascuorum) Bourdon des champs.

European magpie (Pica pica) Pie bavarde. Sunbathing.

Blue flax flower (Linum lewisii) Lin de Lewis.

European Wool Carder Bees (Anthidium manicatum) the males give this species its thuggish reputation. The peaceful females are known for their habit of scraping the fuzz from woolly-leaved plants to line their nests with (hence the name “wool carder bee”), while the males are known for their aggression. They will body slam and drive off any other wool carder males, honey bees, bumble bees, or various interlopers that dare to enter their no-fly zones.

Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalinus). In France it is le Flambé ('the Singed') due to its pattern of charcoal stripes, as if it has had a flame passed over it....

As above.

Common Blue  (Polyommatus icarus). Male in front, female behind. Argus bleu...

As above

As above

Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina) Myrtil.

Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) en Europe l’Hespérie du dactyle et au Canada l’Hespérie des graminées.



23 comments:

  1. Every photo is a study! The detail of these organisms is something often missed. Incredible! I especially love the collages. Stay cool, Diane.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Marie, insects can be so interesting if we only took the time to read up about them as well. Today the temperatures are climbing back up again!! Cheers Diane

      Delete
  2. Hi Diane, your photos are fabulous as always. So much detail and colour. I hope your hot days will not be as hot as expected because I know how the heat is so hard on the garden. I also hope your ribs are healing nicely. Thank you for visiting my blog today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Penny, it looks like the temperatures are on the rise again today Monday, by the weekend we will be over 30 C if they have it right. My ribs are slow, but I know from past experience they can take up to 6 weeks easily!!

      Delete
    2. I hope all is well with you and that you are a little cooler over there. Take care, Diane

      Delete
    3. Yes thank goodness it hasn't been as hot this summer in Vancouver. We've had a few days here and there over 30 C and maybe will get there again in a few days but by and large the weather has been most agreeable at least for me if not all the flowers.

      Delete
    4. We have had a number of days in the 40sC but thankfully we have a cool stone house. I still prefer too hot to too cold when I can never get warm.. Thanks for following, Diane

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Thanks Linda, summer is a good time to catch up with all the little fellows in the garden. Keep well Diane

      Delete
  4. Absolutely amazing shots, Diane. Our summer is screwed...just 12-22C..and very little sunshine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Angie. After a ridiculously hot 6 weeks with no rain, we had a cooler week with a little rain, but as from today 28 July the forecast says we are returning to very hight temperatures again, The lawn looks like a blow torch has been over it and the vegetable garden is struggling despite some water going on it. Take care Diane

      Delete
  5. Always a great pleasure to see your photos Diane, thank you for sharing them. Do hope you are recovering well from your fall.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Denise for the kind comment. Recovery is slow, but ribs always take time as I know from the past! I am a very impatient person so it is not easy!!! Hope all is well with you, Diane

      Delete
  6. A fabulous collection of garden shots. I like the colours in the hover fly's wings. The card wool carder bees are interesting with the male being a thug.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Diane. I was fascinated by the Wool Carder bees and watched them more closely, they really do try to knock other insects off of the flowers. Sadly the lavender is almost at an end now, so there is not such a big attraction to the garden. I hope all is well, t'other Diane

      Delete
  7. Hi Diane - what an amazing selection of wonderful photos - it's great you label them up for all of us. It looks gorgeous ... and yes - funny weather we're having. We've just had some rain, gratefully received from the heavens above and not a deluge fortunately. Not enough, but no doubt the weather gods will amend in due course. Apparently the butterflies are having a good season here - not having a garden I don't see many. I've seen one mozzie so far! Your rib - painful to say the least ... but I hope it heals in good time ... you've lots going on. Take care and all the very best - cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hilary and thanks for the comment. I wish it would rain here, such a problem keeping the vegetable garden going. The rest has to take pot luck and the lawn looks like a blow torch has been over it, I have never seen it quite this bad.
      My rib is just not needed as I have so much to do and Nigel's back is still a big problem. I know from past experience that ribs can take up to 6 weeks, but I should be fine after that. Meanwhile I just have to put up with it. The biggest problem is sleeping as any movement wakes me so I am not getting a good sleep.
      I hope that you are soon back to full health, getting older has its problems!! Take care wishing you all the best, Diane

      Delete
  8. So many cool insect & flower shots!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Pam, always good to hear from you. Keep well Diane

      Delete
  9. I am not sure why, but this post did not show up in my blog feed, Diane. And it is still not there. Your usual quality and finesse is on display here. I would pay serious money for us to take a walk together. We’d have two good sets of eyes I venture to say and between us a fair amount of knowledge too. If Miriam came with us, so much the better! Gros bisous - David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That would be amazing to take a walk with the two of you but I cannot see it happening. We still have money sitting in SA so it would be our obvious choice for a holiday, if we ever go away again. N's back is not doing well, this is going on 9 months now. His peripheral neuropathy gets worse all the time as well. We have tried to get to a more specialised Physio, but they are all so busy. The ones we spoke to 3 months ago said September so we are hoping that they contact us. As he is at present, there is no way he can fly any distance in a plane!!
      The lavender is now over so sadly many of our bugs have vanished and the garden is a bit hit and miss this year as there has been a lot for me to do. On top of that the very high temperatures and no rain I have struggled to even keep the vegetable garden going. The grass looks like it has seen a massive blow torch!
      Keep well and thanks for the comment. Gros bisous mon ami. Diane

      Delete
  10. Has hecho unas fotografías preciosas, todas me gustan. Besos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gracias Teresa, siempre me encanta leer tus comentarios. Que te vaya bien, Diane.

      Delete

Thanks for taking the time to visit and pass a comment. Every comment is appreciated and I try to reply to each and every one. All comments are verification free but will come to me for approval first :-)) PLEASE DO NOT ADD LINKS TO YOUR OWN WEB ADDRESS FOR OBVIOUS REASONS THEY WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING
No anonymous Users!