Butterflies
Last week I saw my first Gatekeeper of the year in the garden and also the first Small Copper.
Small Copper
Butterfly Conservation's annual "Big Butterfly Count" started recently and I shall probably do several in the garden. The first at the weekend resulted in Small White x 2, Gatekeeper x 1, Speckled Wood x 1, Peacock x 2,Large White x 1 and Comma x 1.
Garden Flowers
Buddleia is now flowering just in time for the butterfly counts :)
Astrantia
Pot Marigold
A month or so back I thought I had lost the oregano I was growing in a pot as I forgot to water it during a dry spell. I watered if madly for several days after I found the leaves all shrivelled and then decided it wasn't going to recover but oh look! the other day I spotted that new leaves were appearing and it had survived! The pot by the way has now been "weeded"
In the wild flower mini meadow - Self Heal, Scabious and Knapweed are now flowering.
I spotted this unusual insect on an astrantia flower. It is a Digger Wasp Cerceris rybyensis Many thanks to Steven Falk on Twitter who identified it for me.
Reading
This is a lovely little poetry book by a lady who grew up on a farm near Coleshill. Many of the verses related to local places such as Coleshill and Lapworth.
The Ann Cleeves "George and Molly" books are improving as the series progresses and I really enjoyed this.
This had a rather disturbing topic of a missing child but the book was very good. Another series I am enjoying immensely.
On Sunday D and I went a walk and found a public footpath at Bickenhill which we had not used before. The hedgerows especially with brambles in flower were very good for butterflies - Commas, Red Admirals, Small Tortoisehells, Gatekeepers, Meadow Brown and "Whites".
Mallow
Bindweed
Comma
The lane reached a field and again we walked along the hedgerow towards the M42 in the far distance.
Soldier Beetle
Meadow Brown
Common Toadflax
Gatekeeper
Comma
This old phone box has been converted into a place where people leave books they no longer want for other people to borrow which is a lovely idea.
It was a nice walk and good to get out in the sunshine and we didn't see anyone at all on the footpath or in the field. The countryside finally seems to be becoming quieter or at least locally.
*D Photos taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera
Rest of photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera
