The maximum temperature in the Charente today is 25⁰C; the minimum tonight is 15⁰C! 8km/h ESE winds with 19km/h gusts. 6mm of rain last night was very welcome. The garden is going to take some time to recover from the very long 3½ months' heatwave. It is very burnt!
Thistles in the neighbour's garden. Very pretty while in flower, but the seeds and the thorns are blowing everywhere now!!
Spiny plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides). Le Chardon faux-acanthe.
Western Green Lizard (Lacerta bilineata). Lézard vert occidental.
I used to often see these in the garden, but they have not been around for a number of years now, so I was delighted to this one.
BeeFly (Bombylius cruciatus) Grand bombyle.
Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) L'Hespérie du dactyle.
In America, it is known as the European skipper...
As above...
Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) Le Geai des chênes.
Bath White or Green Marbled White (Pontia daplidice). La Piéride du réséda.
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) La Mésange bleue. Trying to cool off in the continuous high temperatures.
As above, a youngster looking on.
Painted Lady, or Thistle Butterfly (Vanessa cardui) La Belle-Dame.
Scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) Le Flambé...
As above.
Mallow skipper, Grey Skipper, or Alcea Skipper (Carcharodus alceae). La Grisette ou Hespérie de l'alcée...
As above...
As above.
Loved this sunset, I could 'see' so many 'creatures' in the clouds.
Common Blue Butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) L’Argus bleu, Azuré commun, Azuré de la Bugrane ou Petit Bleu commun.
Large White (Pieris brassicae) La Piéride du chou...
As above.
Common Mallow or wood mallow (Malva sylvestris) La Grande Mauve.
Your macro animal shots are always so amazing! That lizard looks super cute.
ReplyDeleteThanks Angie for the kind comment. I love these green lizards so I was delighted to see one again after so long. I hope all is well with you Diane
DeleteGorgeous shots. I especially love the photo of the Western Green Lizard.
ReplyDeleteThank you Pam. The green lizard is very special, I love them. Not sure why I have not seen one for so long but this seems to be a one off! Cheers Diane
DeleteHello Diane. Good to know you have caught up and that we are not alone in having a very dry garden. Only today did we see a decent few hours of rain but the extremes of our grass remain a straw colour. I could actually name a few of your butterflies today so I must be getting better at ID. The Scarce swallowtail is rather nice and it is one I saw in Greece where I found them to be very flighty, rarely hanging around for pictures. The weather seems to have changed for the worse now since both Sue and I have a summer cold. i think it was sitting for hours watching cricket as the afternoon became quite cool and draughty. And then grandson Theo was out first ball!
ReplyDeleteHi Phil, not really caught up, as I still have July and August to go, and September is almost upon us. I do enjoy cricket but the French do not seem to play it at all sadly we never see it anymore. Sorry about the colds though. Our weather is still quite warm and we need a lot more rain. Water restrictions will be with us a while longer yet, and even the pot plants that do get a drop are not very happy, I hope we do not now get a freezing winter!! Cheers Diane
DeleteHello Diane,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post with fantastic pictures.
Amazing that lizard and the Scarce swallowtail. So very nice!!
All butterflies are very colorful ans what a nice shot of that sunset. It gives nice silhouettes with golden colors of the sky.
Many greetings,
Marco
Thank you Marco I always appreciate your comments. I must say I do enjoy our lizards, I miss them in winter. I hope that all is well with you, take care Diane
DeleteOh, Diane, your photos are absolutely stunning and captivating, dear friend! Thank you so much for sharing! I really don't get to see lizards here in Montreal, and I do like them. The lizard is very special to see!
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda. Lizards are my favourite garden animals I think, though I do enjoy our bird selection as well. It has not been an easy year for insects, as the garden almost does not exist, the high temperatures have killed so much off. Keep well, Diane.
DeleteYour pictures are delightful as always, Diane. I was encouraged to see the return of the Green Lizard. Essex Skipper is used here, too, although as you point out European Skipper is used interchangeably. I can only imagine the damage done to the garden by the excessive heat of the past few months. The most worrying thing, it would seem to me, is that next summer is going to be as hot or hotter and recovery will be impossible. Year after year we have a new “hottest on record.” The future looks very grim. Take good care and stay cool as we move into autumn. Gros bisous - David
ReplyDeleteBonsoir David, I think the green lizard was a one off visit and I was lucky to have the camera in hand. We used to see them daily, but this was the first one I have seen in a few years now. Very few insects this year to normal, only when the hardy lavender bloomed did we see many. This is the second year that the vegetable garden has been almost a write off, I think next year I might not even try, it is a lot of work with no results!! Sad as I love my home grown produce. On the other hand I have my work cut out keeping the weeds down as they grow regardless! I am hoping that we do not have a very cold winter, some things might recover, but then if the heat returns again in 2027....... I am glad that I am not young any more as I I agree the future does not look great in many ways. Gros bisous mon ami, Diane
DeleteThat lizard is a beauty. Love all your photos of the Birds and butterflies. You seem to have a big variety of butterflies. I don't see many here.
ReplyDeleteThanks Diane, the insects and butterflies only appeared when the lavender flowered. They were the only hardy plants to hang on through the days of over 40C. Water restrictions it seems will sat in place for a lot longer yet, so apart from the lavender, the only thing still struggling are the weeds!! Cheers, t'other Diane
DeleteDelightful to see all your garden visitors Diane, and the rest. Hurray for your rain!
ReplyDeleteThanks Denise, the rain was good but we need so much more, the garden has never looked as dead!! Keep well Diane
DeleteIt’s so rewarding to finally catch up on those photo edits, and what a magnificent batch to close out June with! That Western Green Lizard sighting is a real treat after missing them for years, and the capture of the Blue Tit trying to cool off is priceless. So glad the garden finally caught some rain after that brutal heatwave, and that cloud-creature sunset is pure magic. Thanks for sharing such a gorgeous slice of the Charente.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Melody. We need so much more rain I have never seen the garden looking so sad, it is just brown now. I love that shot of the Blue Tit as well the expression is great. As for the Lizard, I am hoping I might see some more, but this seems to be a one off visit. Strange as we used to have many of the, around. I hope this finds you well, take care, Diane
DeleteHi Diane - wonderful images - love them. The Western Green Lizard looks very happy and fulfilled with life. Your clouds - look like a frieze ... but the heat has been rather over-powering ... and I gather it's back with you. I can't say I'll miss the summer, but I'm not looking forward to rain and cold!! Cheers for now - Hilary
ReplyDeleteThanks Hilary. This summer has really been far too hot, but I hate winter, and I am not looking forward to it! I feel the cold far more that I feel the heat!! We have a very hot weekend now, but it seems next week will be mostly only in the mid 20s, so it is cooling down a bit. I hope that you are well, cheers Diane.
DeleteThat Lizard is crazy! I love the way you captured each and every one of its scales.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Thanks Amelia. The green lizards are beautiful, but I do not see as many of them now as I used to. I hope you are well, cheers Diane x
DeleteHas hecho unas fotografías preciosas Diane, la puesta de sol es genial. Muchos besos.
ReplyDeleteGracias Teresa, estamos fuera una semana, pero gracias por tu amable comentario. Un abrazo, Diane.
DeleteVery nice set of pictures - that lizard is great. Also like the Jay - I was trying to photograph Jays last week, with very limited success! Oh well!
ReplyDeleteCheers - Stewart M, Venice, Italy!
Thanks Stewart, the Jays have been around quite a lot. I see you are in Italy, sadly still a bit far to visit us !! Enjoy. Cheers Diane
DeleteLovely photos! The shot of the Blue Tit in the water dish and that golden cloud sunset are my favorites.
ReplyDelete