24/06/2018 Home and the garden.

Maximum temperature today 26C, minimum 14C.   Dry; 17 km/h North Easterly chilly winds with up to 40 km/h gusts. 

A couple of days back the bees took a liking to our roof, it seems that they have now moved in.  Unfortunately, the roof is quite new and not easily moved, so not sure how the Bee man is going to move them.  Could be an expensive exercise!!

Bumblebee.

Bud of the Echeveria cactus.

Agapanthus.

Day Lily.

A European hornet came to visit us in the house, these are our ceiling beams! (Vespa crabro)

Hydrangea.

Kalanchoe.

Common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis)

as above

Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina).

Potato flowers.

Red Robin shrub.

Climbing rose.

Small white (Pieris rapae), bee and lavender.

Mrs House sparrow. (Passer domesticus)

Wasp in the greenhouse.

N.B. My bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 13 of the birds seen in Africa.

13/06/2018 A walk in the garden.

Beefly - Bombylius species...

They fascinate me - especially the back legs 😊...

They really love the lavender...

As above.

Bumblebee on the cotoneaster...

as above.

Carnation and bud with a tiny insect.

Day Lilies

Bee Beetle (Trichius fasciatus) on the cotoneaster...

Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata) on the cotoneaster.

Trichodes alvearius and yes, also on the cotoneaster!

Bumble bee.

Small White butterfly (Pieris rapae) on the lavender.

Californian poppy and the smallest spotted beetle ever.  I have no idea what it is!

Echeveria coming into bud. I generally get one or two flowers, but this year there are a dozen or more.

Daddy longlegs; I think it is (Pholcus phalangioides).

N.B. My bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 13 of the birds seen in Africa.

11/06/2018 A few more photos from the weekend.

Maximum temperature today 21C, minimum 15C.    Rainfall, 8 mm last night; 16 km/h North Westerly winds with up to 36 km/h gusts.

Total rainfall since 1st January; 634 mm.  Rain around still.

Bombylius species (Bee-fly), on the lavender.

Bumblebee on the cotoneaster.

Small tortoiseshell on the cotoneaster (Aglais urticae)

Mrs sparrow, (Passer domesticus)  smelling the lilies...

Looking around...

Oh, I spot a bug up there...

Take off mode.

Hydrangea.

Daylilies.

N.B. My bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 12 of the birds I saw last year in Africa.

06/06/18 Around the garden

Maximum temperature today 21C, minimum 15C.    Rainfall 34 mm measured since my last post; 15 km/h South Westerly winds with up to 38 km/h gusts.

Total rainfall since 1st January; 606 mm and more rain today!

Too dark to paint today so here is another catch-up post.  Photos taken over several days when there was a glimmer of sun between rain!

I managed to cut the lawn at the weekend but it was quite wet...

as above.

Love in the mist, and with what I believe to be a fly or bee of some kind covered in pollen

Rosebud with an Oxythyrea funesta chomping away on the petals! Note the small fly on the top of the petal on the right.

Bee Beetle (Trichius fasciatus)  on the cotoneaster...

as above.

Carnation growing in amongst the rosemary!

Day Lilies.

Cotoneaster with an unknown beetle.  I only saw the beetle when I looked at the photo which was taken of the flowers!

Fungus on the wood pile. Possibly Trametes versicolor, often called the "turkey tail.

Granny Smith apples.

Potato plants.

N.B. My bird blog is updated  HERE 

Part 12 of the birds I saw last year in Africa.