12/08/2019 A few more photos from the garden before our visitors arrive.

Maximum temperature today 21C, minimum 12C.  10 mm of very welcome rain measured this morning.  19km/h North-westerly winds with gusts up to 44 km/h. 

Gatekeeper butterfly (Pyronia tithonus).

Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis).

Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria).

I think this is one of the Potter wasps (or mason wasps), (Eumeninae).

A hopper unidentified in the bathroom!!! Probably a cricket but the long antennae are almost invisible. Maybe a mole cricket?

Jersey Tiger Moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria). Taken from outside of the window....

and from the inside.

A bumble bee on the lavender.

Our first sunflower of the year in the garden...

With a bee and another insect, possibly a different kind of bee (?) that kept trying to bomb the first one.

Flowers from the sweetcorn plants...

and the first view of tassels on the cobs forming.  Yum yum.

A rose after the rain.

Multiple sunflowers.

And my favourite shot of the week the moon with the leaves of the cherry tree in the foreground.  Think this is my best shot ever of the moon.

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente

25/07/2019 Very hot still and photos hard to come by.

Maximum temperature today 39C, minimum 24C.  Dry.  18km/h South-westerly winds with gusts up to 42 km/h.  Rain forecast for Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.  I hope it happens, but please not storms or hail which so often happens after very hot weather!! The garden is almost flat other than the lavender which seems to survive most.

Gatekeeper, this one I think is (Pyronia tithonus).  The last post I am sure was the Southern Gatekeeper.  Confusing for me I am no expert.

Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum).

Wasp? bottoms up taking a drink.

Social wasp, love the shadow.  Where its feet touch the water it looks like it is wearing shoes. 

Too hot to put its feet down! Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis).

Nymph of the Shield bug (Nezara viridula)

Bombylius species maybe major.

As above.

As above

A little hopper on the wilting stargazer lily.

A hornet?

Is it hotter up there closer to the sun?

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente

09/07/19 Just around the garden. Plus one photo out on the road.

Maximum temperature today 28C, minimum 17C.  Dry.  21km/h North-easterly winds with gusts up to 47 km/h.  No sign of rain in the forecast for the next week so lots of watering!!

We saw this stunning sight while out on the road.

Back home bumblebee on the sage.

Crane-fly on the Californian poppies.

Bubblebee on the cotoneaster.

Bee on the cotoneaster.

Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina) on the lavender.

Hopper on a Calendula.

European Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis).

Bombylius species on the lavender.

Gendarme beetle or firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus).

Web spinning garden spider, possibly a Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus).

Hydrangeas.

Raspberry,

The flower of the succulent Echeveria, not that pretty but interesting.

Quinces.

Hazel nuts.

and last but not least another wall lizard. (Podarcis muralis).

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente

04/07/2019 A few more bugs from our May holiday.

Maximum temperature today 32C, minimum 18C.  Dry.  16km/h North-easterly winds with gusts up to 34 km/h.  

Still many unknowns as I have just not had the time to search !!!

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) female....

As above.

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) Male...

As above.

Bumblebee....

As above

A little hopper on a buttercup

Chrysomelinae family - leaf beetle - it looks like it has had a good meal !

This frog with the green back should be easy to identify but I am not sure at all.

The Green Frog Group are three related and interbreeding species:

Edible Frog (Pelophylax kl. esculentus)

Pool Frog (Pelophylax lessonae)

Marsh Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus).

Pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis).

A hopper and possibly a bee.

Oedemera noblis, probably a female with thinner legs than the male.

Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata).

Possibly a Longhorn, but which one?

Tawny Longhorn Beetle (Paracorymbia fulva) so I am led to believe.

There was lots of water around...

Common Pond Skater (Gerris lacustris), in love.

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente