"Bits and Pieces"

The days continue to merge into one!


As long as it is not raining I wander round the garden several times a day looking for new plants in flower, birds and insects.

More flowers on the patio clematis and

a different variety (no idea which one) clambering over an arch further up the garden.

Thyme continues to flower

Miniature strawberries - to be honest I am not sure if they are "wild" or planted over 40 years ago by the previous owner but they appear each year. We used to grow strawberries in a fruit cage but that was in a different area of the garden.

Timothy enjoying his daily walk!

Choiysa in flower - mum and dad bought us this shrub many many years ago.

Hawthorn - sadly never flowers profusely - I blame OH for over pruning it although he says this is not the case. The garden has not been tended that well so far this year as B has had a lot of problems with his legs. An xray just before lock down suggests he has osteo arthritis of the hips and spine which he needs to see the doctor about when they are accepting appointments again. Ibuprofen helps him a lot but the GP took him off that as she said it was causing his blood pressure to increase :(

Timothy again - he does like azaleas!

This is the border that has been taken over by Red Campion - really pleased about this!

Common Vetch (I think - please correct me if I am wrong)

Azaleas

Rock Rose

Water Avens by the pond

This morning there were 7 eggs in the Blue Tit nest and

she has begun to incubate. It is good to see the male goes in regularly to feed her.

Sadly, over the last few days a Magpie has been seen again several times near the Blackbird nest so I suspect this will eventually get predated.


Speckled Wood butterflies are still being seen most days and today I saw a male Brimstone. Tawny Mining Bee and Tree Bumble Bee are new species for the year. The Large Red Damselfly seems to have disappeared or moved on perhaps.


Wildflower area and mini woodland at the top of the garden.

I've been keeping up the "journal" but not drawing every day partly because of the rain and not going into the garden to find items to draw.

I'm just taking each day as it comes and trying to keep my mind occupied. I am still doing the heraldry course and the os puzzle book and reading fiction and non-fiction. I've knitted a little owl and just have to sew it up. I finished the OU free War Memorial Course which, although short, was interesting and certainly makes you ask questions about the different forms memorials take, the location and symbols etc. When all this is over I will be taking a lot of photos whenever I can find them. I've signed up for another OU free course on Life in the Palaeozoic which may well repeat information I learned years ago when I took Geology courses with them. But as I have forgotten a lot of what I learnt it will refresh it in my memory!!





It was E's birthday last week - it was not the celebration she planned as two short holidays had to be cancelled and she couldn't meet friends but we made the best of it in the circumstances.

I found a Christmas Pudding sparkler we hadn't used to put in the cake.

*D

Flowers sent by one friend

*D

Another friend left flowers on the drive for her.

Birmingham Airport has been used for "military" exercises with sightings of a Chinook helicopter and this plane.

*D


An old spirograph gift was found in a wardrobe and put into use.

*D


Pressing garden flowers

*D


The hammered silver coin from Queen Elizabeth I's reign I mentioned D had found in my last post.

*D

*D


Apart from an Apple and Blackberry crumble no baking this week


Tea cooked by D using up pitta breads and peppers.

*D


Glamorgan Sausages again made by D with a Watercress, Apple and Walnut salad courtesy of me!

*D



Plain flour has nearly run out but I must thank Sarah Head who kindly left a comment in the last post asking if I had tried Shipton Mill as they release delivery slots at some stage during the day. Yesterday I visited the website and kept refreshing it every time I was on the computer and I was fortunate enough to get a delivery slot so all being well I should have some plain, self raising, wholemeal and bread flour in a week or so. I wasn't greedy I just had two 1 kg bags of each but at least we can bake again for a while without worrying about running out for a few weeks. I did consider buying a few 16kg sacks (which they sell from a different shop) but B was not keen on having too much flour lying about.

So thank you Sarah.



I hope everyone is staying safe and well. Take care.



*D Photos taken by D with the Canon SX 50 HS bridge camera
Rest of photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera

Big Butterfly Count and some other Garden Insects

Since 2010 Butterfly Conservation has organised a yearly nationwide survey where people can spend 15 minutes counting the number of butterflies they see in their garden or other location and then submit their records. Last year 60,000 people participated submitting 62,500 counts of butterflies and day flying moths. It is now the world's largest butterfly survey.

Butterflies are excellent biodiversity indicators as they react rapidly to environmental change. Therefore declines in butterflies provide an early warning of potential losses in other species. The Big Butterfly Count also helps to identify trends in species allowing plans to be made to protect those in decline and it will also help scientists to understand the effects of climate change.

This year the survey runs from 20th July until 12th August and you can submit as many counts as you like.

I know many of you enjoy taking part in this count too and I look forward to discovering what others have seen.

I've done three counts so far - all in the garden.



Big Butterfly Count 1


Brimstone x 1

Small White x 2

Large White x 1

Holly Blue x 1

Gatekeeper x 2

Peacock x 1

Big Butterfly Count 2

Holly Blue x 1

Gatekeeper x 1

Speckled Wood x 2

Green-veined White x 1

Small White x 7

Large White x 2



Brimstone x 1




Big Butterfly Count 3

Speckled Wood x 2

(Sorry rubbish photo I couldn't get any closer without it flying off!)

Large White x 1

Small White x 3

Gatekeeper x 1

Holly Blue x 1




Worryingly, I have only seen one Peacock and no Red Admirals, Painted Ladies or Small Tortoiseshell.


Although not seen during the counts, we have had several sightings of Skippers

Small Skipper

Large Skipper

I was also thrilled just before one of the counts started to see a Small Copper in the garden. Sightings of this butterfly here are so unusual that I thought at first I it was a new garden "tick" but on my checking my records the last sighting was in 2006.



Garden Bees

Buff-tailed Bumble Bee

Common Carder

Bees on echninops

Garden Hoverflies


Golden Rod is flowering in the garden and Hoverflies just love this flower.

I need a better photo to be able to identify this species.

One of the Eristalis species possibly tenax.

Myathropa florea

Marmalade Hoverfly

Volucella zonaria

Flies

Tachina fera - thanks to Kevin for id help.

Greenbottle

Garden Moths - I haven't been trapping moths as often as usual this year so it was good to see a day flying moth on a buddleia in the garden.

Mother of Pearl

Hairy Shieldbug - I found this shieldbug amongst the washing. If my id is correct it would be a new species for the garden

Wooden Bee - This lovely little carved bee was a lovely surprise in the post from a friend who enjoys carving the most wonderful objects out of wood. Thank you Peter.

Butterfly Pin Badges

For a few years now I have been collecting beautiful limited edition butterfly pin badges designed and produced by Paul (many thanks to Paul). These are the two latest.

Weird Effect

When I was looking out of the bedroom window a few nights ago it looked as though the sky was floating above a neighbour's garden.

The effect was caused by the reflections of the eastern sky in the open window I was looking through. I am not sure if the photos bring out the effect that well but it was a strange experience!



D has started to grow vegetables again.

Green Peppers are doing well and

the tomato plant brought back from the Isle of Wight now has baby tomatoes on several trusses.