butterfly garden

Unfortunately not in the numbers of last summer - but at least we have had some in the garden this week.


Ringlet

Gatekeeper

Small tortoiseshell

keeping fingers crossed for more in the next few weeks.

My garden is now a buzzin'

But what are they?
Okay I know they are bees and hoverflies but that is as far as it goes.

I am going to have to make time to try and identify these. Any help would be great appreciated!!!!

throwing up more questions than answers

Every time I go out into my garden I notice things that weren't there before, and more often or not I don't seem to have any idea what they are.
so today's question is 'what is this'?

I originally thought it was some sort of mould  - as it has been so wet , but then on closer examination I discovered it is actually made up of round balls which made me think that it could be eggs! can someone please tell me what this is apart from ugly and slightly worrying as it is on, what has been, a very attractive pink flowering alpine plant!

this rain is getting a little bit worrying

The common is naturally wet - but I haven't seen it this wet for a few years - and apparently more rain is to come. These photos were taken from my house, you can see the flood waters edge.

I need your help!!!! what is this?

This visited my buddleia earlier this evening. I have absolutely no idea what it is - can anyone help?

A time to go ahhh!!!!

Lots of fledged birds are around at the moment, our feeders are being filled every day.
this afternoon I took some time out to click away at some oh so cute baby blue tits.

stretching for water

thankfully this time it was only a wood pigeon, the sparrowhawk had visited earlier

waiting for the flowers to grow!!!

I was feeling very radical in the spring and as a result we ripped up the jungle that was once an attractive flower bed and sowed a wild flower mix in its place, the seedlings have appeared and everyday I go out to inspect it, there seem to be a lot of green shoots coming through now, I haven't a clue what they are all it said on the packet was great for attracting butterflies.

So while I am waiting for these to grow and my herbs to burst into sweet smelling flowers the only things settling in our garden are bees and flies, so last night I practised my macro photography, these flies just happened to land near to wear I was sitting - very lazy photography

Lovely aren't they?
If you want something pretty to look at I suggest you scroll down to my previous post instead!

daisy jewellery

As well as writing this garden blog I also write a jewellery blog too and on some occasions, the two overlap; during the summer months you will often find me sat at our garden table making jewellery, but sometimes I make jewellery just for fun and today my garden provided the materials, sat on our lawn with my daughter I started picking a few daisies and the inevitable happened  daisy chains.

My beautiful daughter

so if you haven't made any daisy jewellery before you get your mower out sit down on the grass and pick a few of the flowers and have a go

the return of the cuckoo

Just a very quick post, on this red letter day the cuckoo has returned, after at least a two year absence, but could have been as long as 5 years-  we stood on our drive watching it fly across the common after hearing it call, it then called two or three more times during the morning, I so hope it stays around so I can get a picture.

supermoon

Last night we enjoyed another supermoon or perigee moon, a supermoon is when a full moon coincides with the moons closest approach to Earth following it's elliptical orbit or perigee.
This was the view from my garden shortly before midnight, apparently it appeared at it's largest around half past four this morning, but I was tucked up in bed then!