Sunday 11 July 2010

Visitors to my lavender bush

Last night when Mr S and I arrived home from a lovely afternoon and evening with friends,  we approached the front door and started commenting on how many moths were flying around our lavender, it was just like a blizzard. The lavender is situated next to our front door, and above our door is a light, the moths I guess are attracted to the light as well as the lavender. In turn the moths would provide a tasty feast for predators on the search for easy easy pickings.
So imagine our delight when this tiny fluffy Tawny Owl arrived on the outside table next to the lavender and started dropping into the bush to pick out the moths!


So adorable, I  forgave it immediately for waking me on several occasions throughout the previous night, it is far too young to screech or hoot, all it does at the moment is squeak! every two seconds or so a short squeak. We stood watching it through our front door window for a good ten minutes before it flew onto our gate and then into the hawthorns at the back of the house (outside our bedroom window) where it remained for the rest of the evening.
This morning I went out looking rather too optimistically for some evidence of it's visit, a downy feather or even a pellet would have been good, but nothing,
While I was searching, though,  this beautiful Comma butterfly landed on the lavender along with two Small Tortoiseshell butterflies.


I will keep watching my lavender and garden throughout today and will post any other new sightings later, if anything else appears!

It is now the end of the day and I am afraid not a lot of new visitors to the lavender or even the garden today, just three new butterflies to add to my butterfly list including this gate keeper butterfly,


a large white  butterfly


and a small white butterfly.


I also managed to get these two photos of small tortoiseshell butterflies which I would like to share with you too .


Looking forward to seeing the young tawny owl again tonight!

4 comments:

  1. Hi Angela, That is just lovely. A Tawny Owl I can hardly think of any better visitor to your garden. I will certainly be checking back to see if you have had any other sightings. Well done for managing to get a photo. Jane xx

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  2. Have you had any Humming Bird Hawk Moths this year?

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  3. Hi Melanie,
    No humming bird moths yet but there is still time, we usually do have them !

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  4. Beautiful photos. Your lavender is far ahead of mine, the bees are just starting to arrive. Don't you just want to cuddle that cute little owl. Hope he comes back.

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