21/06/2019 Bugs in the garden.

Maximum temperature today 23C, minimum 12C.  Dry; but it has just started raining as I type this.  13km/h South-easterly winds with gusts up to 32 km/h.  

I have not forgotten the last holiday photos, but I am still battling to keep up with everything in general!  Yesterday we suddenly had a lot of bees that kept appearing in the house.  They were coming in faster than we could safely get them out the window.  Bearing also in mind I react very badly to bee stings!  After a couple of hours, we discovered they were coming down the chimney, and looking outside we then saw lots of activity at the top.  We decided that maybe smoking them out was the best answer and the fire was duly lit.   This morning all seems to be well.  I hope they find somewhere nice and safe now to settle.

As always I am happy to be corrected if my ID is incorrect.

Carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea) on the Sweet William...

As above.

Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) also on the Sweet William...

As above.

Hoverfly possibly (Episyrphus balteatus) - Sweet Wlliam.

Bee.

I thought this was a bee at first, but looking at its head I think it is, in fact, a fly of some kind. Californian Poppy.

Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina).

Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)...

Hoverfly possibly (Episyrphus balteatus). and unknown. Calendula flower.

Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina). On the cotoneaster.

Hoverfly possibly (Episyrphus balteatus).  Californian Poppy.

Chafer beetle On the cotoneaster.

Colorado beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata).  As pretty as they are we do not want them in the garden!!  On the potato plants!

Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)

Hoverfly (Scaeva pyrastri) on the cotoneaster...

As above on the Sweet William.

Hoverfly possibly (Episyrphus balteatus).

I think these are Longhorn beetles of some kind, whatever, we are obviously going to get a lot more of them. 

Bombylius species on the lavender.

Beetle (Oxythyrea funesta) - Cotoneaster.

Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva).

Shield bug but not sure which one - Cotoneaster.

Bombylius species on the lavender....

As above.

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente

07/09/2019 A few photos from the garden and elsewhere.

Maximum temperature today 25C, minimum 13C.  Rain that was not forecast yesterday but very welcome, 9mm; 10km/h North-westerly winds with up to 27 km/h gusts. 

Looking down one of the roads in Rochechouart....

and I just liked this old gate in the same town.

A road crossing in Chassenon.

Six sparrows all trying to take a bath!

and a loner.

Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album)

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa violacea)

Colorado beetle the big pest! (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), 

House centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata).

Cosmos and bug...

Cosmas and crab spider.

Autumn daffodil/crocus (Sternbergia lutea) and bug.

Californian Poppy.

Rose buds.

Sweet Potato flower.

Violas, these have been amazing, flowering all year from early spring and they are now reseeding.

We are away from tomorrow for the next week and as Penny from 'SnapThat' so aptly said, we will be unplugged.  No computer, and almost no phone contact.

Bonne semaine. À bientot.

My bird blog

has been updated HERE

25/08/2018 Around the garden.

Maximum temperature today 20C, minimum 13C.  Cloudy and damp but not enough to show in the  rain gauge; 11 km/h North-westerly winds with up to 31 km/h gusts. 

We have been busy with trailer loads of stone from the 'new' barn and taking them to the dump.  (An old interior wall that was under the food troughs).   Moving cut wood into the barn.  Cutting up figs for dehydration and what seems like dozens of small jobs!

Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus)...

as above.

Colorado potato beetle larvae (Leptinotarsa decemlineata). I have been hand picking them off the potatoes and dumping them in soapy water - I seem to be winning at the moment!

Frelon asiatique (Vespa velutina) - Asian Hornet. 

Note the last two insects have been introduced to France and we really do not want them!

Now this little guy, about 1/4 the size of a normal ladybird, is in quite large numbers on my haricot vert, they do not appear to be doing any damage but maybe I am missing something!  If anyone can ID it for me I would be delighted...

They are Southern green shield bug nymphs (Nezara viridula) and are important pests so now I have to find a way to get rid of them without messing up the beans for eating.  They are eating all the young beans and the flowers I can now see!!

As above.

Cornflower plus ant.

Cosmos and memories of roadsides full of them in Southern Africa...

as above...

as above, note the bug.

I thought all the poppies were over but suddenly this double appeared.

Californian poppy and hoverfly

Vegetables from the garden today - tomatoes, figs, 1 parsnip, 3 yellow carrots, hazelnuts....

Haricot vert, potatoes, mealies (sweetcorn)

Yum yum.  For those that might be worried, I made the zebra table mats from zebra patterned wrapping paper.  The table was carved in Zambia (I think) and has the heads of the big 5 carved into the top of it. Elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino and leopard.  It has glass over the carving so almost impossible to photograph.  You can see part of the elephant here.

and a slightly washed out sunset.

My bird blog

has been updated HERE