09/03/2021 All photos in the garden.

  Maximum temperature here today 10⁰C, minimum -2⁰C.  Dry .   9km/h North-Easterly winds with gusts up to 26 km/h.  If the forecast is right it starts raining again tomorrow and the temps stay low. 

The past week the weather has been great and the bugs and lizards have been out and about - think they have now all gone undercover again.  I have been gardening so no time to go out for walks.

On another note, I had my second COVID jab yesterday and no reaction other than a slightly sore arm.

Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles japonica).

Daffodils.

Japanese camellia (Camellia Japonica).

Two-spot ladybirds can have up to sixteen spots! And then to confuse matters further, the ten-spot and harlequin ladybird can also have two spots. I was presuming this 16 spot was (Adalia bipunctata)... On second thoughts maybe this is the Asian Ladybug (Harmonia axyridis.)

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As above...

As above...

As above...

Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)....

As above with a Firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus) commonly known as the Gendarme beetle. It was totally ignored presumably not very tasty!

Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros) on the viburnum tinus...

As above...

As above looking a little battered! ...

As above...

As above being bombed...

As above.

Lawn daisy (Bellis perennis) with what I believe to be Sweat bees (Halictidae).

Hoverfly and I think (Eristalis tenax).

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).

Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna).

Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.

My local list of wildflowers. (90 Species 23/08/2020).

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World.

20/02/2021 Last weeks walk

 Maximum temperature here today 16⁰C, minimum 10⁰C.  Dry but very grey skies.  21km/h South-Westerly winds with gusts up to 74 km/h. 

I have not been out walking since last week when these photos were taken.  The very high winds have been a problem and my eyes, despite wraparound glasses,  just water all the time and I cannot focus on where I am going let alone focus on the camera.

At home the Viburnum tinus is in flower.

and the first crocuses.

Out walking it was a little misty to begin with but it soon cleared.

The lambs were playing...

as above...

As above...

Looking over the local town.

Seen outside somebodies house.

The little stream is still flowing very fast.

Muddy puddles everywhere....

and the cattle are still standing in mud.

A pleasant surprise was seeing about 8 Brimstone butterflies at various places along the walk, only one settled long enough for me to get a photo. (Gonepteryx rhamni).

Many hundreds of Cranes (Grus grus) were flying overhead, but I was only carrying the Nikon Coolpix so photos were not easy to get.  Even more so because most of my walk was through the woods and the trees were in the way!  Good to see them returning to the North.

Some of the track where I was walking.

Seen in somebodies smallholding. With thanks to Richard we believe them to be Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus), presumably, these have been domesticated. 

Flowers were in abundance, Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) above with a bug.

Gorse (Ulex europaeus).

Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna)

Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica)

Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia).

Unknown fungus.

And a sunset that surprised me at the end of the day.

Take care everybody, keep well and stay safe.

My local list of wildflowers. (90 Species 23/08/2020).

See also my

 Bird blog

Joining up with My Corner of the World.

25/02/2020 Out for another walk....

Maximum temperature in the Charente today 12C, minimum 5C. Rain on and off all day not measured as yet.  24km/h north-westerly wind with gusts up to 55 km/h.

I apologise for my late replies to comments, we seem to have been very busy and also a number of visits for me to the dentist - still more to go!!

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

As above.

A lone daffodil with a bug!

Our neighbour's chickens.

Our neighbour's lamb...

As above in plural.

Do you think it still works!!..

These look in slightly better shape.

A lost feather.

Dandelion and bug.

Ivy.

The quiet track leading down to a stream.

Self-seeded rapeseed by the side of the road.

Rose bedeguar galls caused by the wasp (Diplolepis rosae). The female lays up to 60 eggs within each leaf bud. The grubs develop within the gall.  I put a picture of one on an earlier blog but this is a better photo.

Long-leaved Lungwort (Pulmonaria longifolia).

Last but not least there were still some cranes around flying North but I was in thick woodland so photos were almost impossible.

See also my

 Bird blog