03/08/2020 A few photos mostly from the garden

Maximum temperature here today 23⁰C, minimum 13⁰C, by the weekend we will be back up to 38C again, the garden is struggling! A light shower that did not register in the rain gauge.  15km/h North-Westerly winds with gusts up to 44 km/h.

The first cosmos of 2020  (Cosmos bipinnatus) of this year.

A slightly bedraggled Common swallowtail butterfly (Papilio machon)...

As above

The Clouded Yellow brimstone (Colias croceus)....

As above.

Small Pincertail dragonfly (Onychogomphus forcipatus).

Garden Spider (Eriovixia laglaizei) I watched it for some time.  It had caught a hummingbird hawk-moth which it duly wrapped up well in its web.  It then cut the surrounding attachments leaving it at the top, and it the carried it up into its larder in the top of the greenhouse - fascinating....

As above.

As above.

Gatekeeper butterfly (Pyronia tithonus).

 Common swallowtail butterfly (Papilio machon)....

As above.

Small white butterfly (Pieris rapae).

Thirsty bees taking a drink.

Bumble bee (Bombus....)

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

Genus Lithobiusa member of Stone Centipedes Order Lithobiomorpha

Latticed Heath Moth (Chiasmia clathrate).

As above

Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis).

A poppy seed head,

Pumpkin flower pollinators.

My local list of wildflowers. (89 Species 20/07/2020).

See also my

 Bird blog

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

29/07/2019 The rain seems to have brought out the butterflies

Maximum temperature today 27C, minimum 11C.  Dry.  16km/h North-westerly winds with gusts up to 35 km/h.  We had 20mm of rain over the weekend, it helped cool things down, but we need a lot more for the gardens and farms.

The return of the Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) on the lavender....

As above...

As above... 

As above...

Small White (Pieris rapae).

Common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) male...

As above female...

As above...

Now I am not sure as these next two look so similar but different!!  I think they are both Gatekeepers (Pyronia tithonus), but I would be happy for someone to correct me if I am wrong.

see above.

Crab spider with what I believe to be a Meadow Brown,

As above, yummy dinner!

Bee in a hurry...

As above,

Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum).

Stargazer Lily, the sun has sadly burnt all the other Lilies!

A few veggies from the garden. Potatoes, tomato, carrots and courgette.

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente