Flowers before the rain

 

photos taken with iPhone 4S

The Lodge

Large Red Damselflies laying eggs

Bee in a poppy. They seem to go mad for the copious pollen

Female Azure Damselfly

Mushroom

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Step away from the bird

Long-tailed Tit

Baby bird season is hard work. After the experience of seeing Jackdaw chicks become supper for young Carrion Crows last week, today I stumbled across a tiny Long-tailed Tit fledgling. I'm not entirely sure what the official definition of 'fledgling' is, but this one couldn't really fly very well. It was more of a flutterer at an altitude of two inches.

It was in a vulnerable position in the middle of a busy path, so I watched for 10 minutes to see what happened before picking it up - it seemed quite happy to perch on my finger - and attempting to put it somewhere safer.

At first I couldn't hear any adults calling nearby, but then two sat in a nearby tree before flying off. The chick was calling but there didn't seem to be any other Long-tailed Tits around. In the end it fluttered into some nettles and I had to walk away... Now I'm trying not to think about its fate.

Large Red Damselflies - much less hassle

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Wildflowers

Purple things among the rocks at Ipsilou (below)

Ipsilou view

Cornflower?

Poppies

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Close-up Common Darter

You can click on the photos to view big ones.

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Bugs

These pesky shieldbugs are still at it, sunbathing away on top of the poppies.

I spent quite a while watching them this lunchtime, and I'm pretty sure that's all they're doing. They didn't appear to be feeding or interacting, despite the fact that they often congregated on the same poppies.

• Big thanks to Fiona for lending her bug identification know-how - these are Sloe Bugs, Dolycoris baccarum

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Parent Bugs

I was wandering aimlessly around the garden before work this morning, when I noticed some shieldbugs congregating on a bare poppy head.

I've done a bit of rummaging around on Google and I think they're Parent Bugs, Elasmucha grisea.

Not sure what they're up to, but my personal theory is that they'd spent the night in the vegetation below and simply climbed up the tall poppy stems to sun themselves at the top.

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Plantlife

Waterlilies

What happens to poppies when they die

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Flower-power

To use a cliche, the gardens at The Lodge are a riot of colour at the moment. Because they're all organic (and peat-free), there are loads of insects everywhere you look, which in turn is great for birds, of course.

Silhouette of Azure Damselfly

Garden Chafer, Phyllopertha horticola

Ants and aphids

These shots were all taken before 9am. I was hoping for some slightly less frisky dragon- and damselflies, but most weren't out at that time. I know that lunchtime is too late, so the optimum time must be around 10am...

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Mmmm, bright colours!

Azure Damselflies


Large Red Damselflies

Look, I know I take photos of the same insecty things every day but by the time I get to go out at lunchtime, it's way too hot for anything to be sitting still - apart from Large Red and Common Blue/Azure Damselflies (the latter two I still can't ID with confidence...).

Bumblebee on thistle

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995