20/07/2019 Around the garden and out for a drive.

Maximum temperature today 28C, minimum 16C.  4mm very welcome rain last night. 17km/h North-westerly winds with gusts up to 41 km/h.  

Peacock butterfly (Aglais io). Looking a little worn!

Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina).

Small White (Pieris rapae).

Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum).

What I believe to be a honey bee taking a drink, loved the shadow.

Think this is one of the Social wasps taking a drink.

and I believe this to be a Potter wasp but I am not certain.

Climbing rose.

Out on the road - making hay while the sun shines.

The sunflowers seem extra good this year.  The bees seem happy.

The banks of the River Touvre which runs into the Charente River.

Looking across the weir.

Back home the hibiscus is in flower.

The mirabelle plums are looking good.

The moon on the night of 13 July.....

and the partial eclipse on the 16th

A collection from the garden yesterday.  Also 2kg of potatoes from 2 plants, still 48 plants to go and the longer I leave them the bigger they will get!

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente

Bugs !!!

Maximum temperature today 16C, minimum 2C.    Dry but starting to rain as I type this; 5 km/h South Westerly winds with up to 16 km/h gusts.

I managed to get one bed of potatoes, exactly 38 potatoes planted.  The other bed still has to have compost dug into it.  Cut the lawn, lucky I did as the grass will be wet again tomorrow!

Have seen so few insects this year, I went hunting for them in the garden while the sun was shining and this is the result.

Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria)

As above.

Holly blue (Celastrina argiolus)

Unknown fly.

Wasp in the greenhouse!

Trichodes alvearius, a species of Soldier or Checkered beetle.

A member of the bee family maybe, it is very small...

as above.

Web-spinning spider.

Sorry, a bit behind again.  Will catch up with comments ASAP.

N.B. My new bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 7 of the birds I saw last year in Africa.

15/08/2015 A day of insects.

Maximum temperature 22C, minimum 12 C. 18 km/h NW wind Dry but 13mm measured from yesterday afternoon and evening.

10/08/2015 The rain has brought some colour to the garden. A trip to La Rochefoucauld.

Maximum temperature 30C,minimum 12C. 19 km/h N wind. Dry.

02/08/2010 Rubbish day for photos. It was too hot outside and nothing around. Nigel is on a cooking course for the week.

Maximum temperature 30C (sure it was much hotter!) Minimum 12C. 22 km/h SE wind.  Dry.