29/06/2020 Out walking and in the garden.

Maximum temperature here today 21⁰C, minimum 14⁰C. Dry.  15km/h North-Westerly winds with gusts up to 31 km/h.

My apologies for not keeping up with my blogs or yours but we just seem to be extra busy!!!

Looking through the forest.

The track where I was walking.

A hoverfly.

Somebody's insect hotel.

I walked down to the closest dam in the hopes that I might see something of interest.  Not a bird or an insect in sight.  Well, there were some water skimmers on the water but!!!

Back home a rainbow, look closely and you can see the second one.

Plane number F-HCG0 flying over the garden.

The vegetable garden.

Too big for lizard's lunch I suspect but they seemed to be aware of each other.

Hornet (Vespa crabro) and Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis).

Small stallion seen on a farm on another walk.  He posed perfectly for me!

Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).  A protected species and they can range from Red to almost black.

Marbled White (Melanargia galathea).

As above.

Peacock butterfly (Aglais io).

Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria)

Wall brown (Lasiommata megera).

My local list of wildflowers. (82 Species 25/06/2020)

See also my

 Bird blog

More insects from May and June Part 3

Maximum temperature here today 17⁰C, minimum 10⁰C. Rain measured this morning 5 mm. 27km/h South-Westerly winds with gusts up to 62 km/h.

Small white butterfly (Pieris rapae).

Possibly a spotted fritillary (Melitaea didyma), I did not get to see the underside of its wings.

Damselfly Beautiful demoiselle (Calopteryx Virgo) female.

As above, male.

Common Clubtail Dragonfly (Gomphus vulgatissimus).

Red-and-black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata).

Bee on the cotoneaster.

Common green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata).

Bee on a Californian poppy.

Bumble bee, possibly (Bombus terrestris).

Red admiral butterfly (Vanessa Atlanta).

Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae). They are very colourful if only it had opened its wings!

Carpenter bee  (Xylocopa violacea or Xylocopa valga).

Marbled White (Melanargia galathea)...

As above...

As above

Bombylius species...

as above.

Red-brown Longhorn Beetle (Stictoleptura rubra) both males...

As above.

My thanks to Richard once again for ID of the damsels and dragon. 

My local list of wild flowers. (67 Species 12/06/2020)

See also my

 Bird blog

14/07/2019 Wow what a weekend of sport, but I managed a quick walk out early before it go too hot.

Maximum temperature today 27C, minimum 16C.  Dry. 18km/h North-easterly winds with gusts up to 43 km/h.  Still, no sign of rain in the forecast for the next week so lots of watering!!

My first photo was of the neighbour's gladiola.

A little further on I saw this flower that I have been unable to ID.  I found an identical flower on the internet that said it was an orchid but nothing further,  I am not convinced though that it is even an orchid!

Common chicory, (Cichorium intybus)

Blackberries forming.

I think this is a Marbled white (Melanargia galathea) but it was still for barely a second for this photo.

Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina).

I think this is a cranesbill from the geranium family...

as above,

Saint John's-wort.

Cattle keeping an eye on me....

as is this youngster number 88...

and I guess dad is also being watchful as well.

Maize.

Making hay while the sun shines...

and obviously, it is coffee time.

Sunflowers in abundance...

and the bees seem to be enjoying them.

See also my Bird blog 

and My life In the Charente