The Lenten Rose

 Last Saturday was a beautiful sunny spring day and I was faced with the prospect of a visit to a well know DIY/Home improvement store. For me that is akin to torture so I rebelled and proposed a day out instead. I ended up at Bodnant gardens in North Wales which is always a lovely place to visit. As it is so early in the season there was not a great variety of flowers in bloom but there were lots of buds with the promise of much more to come as spring advances. There were however some early blooms scattered around and these were inviting lots of bees which was good to see.

I have quite a few pictures to sort through and I am starting with these three shots of a Hellebore. I have to say that I am not normally a fan of hellebores however this particular variety (Helleborus x hybridus Ashwood Strain) really caught my eye with its dark edged petals and when you look below the drooping heads you find a brightly coloured centre (is it yellow or green?) holding the pollen and nectar which proved to be very attractive to several bees. 

I have learned today that Hellebores are native to Greece and Turkey and that they are part of the buttercup family.

Pebbles

 Today's little gem is exactly that; little. This is Pebbles; Phiddipus regius, or Regal Jumping Spider.

After the more spooky specimens over the past few days I wanted to end this spell of spider posts with something cute. I know that for many people even this little beauty will send shivers down your spine but I think it is amazing.

It has eight eyes, eight legs and scores eight out of 10 on the cuteness scale.

Having said that I am glad it is safely in its container.

Lunch Time

This is a street scene from Cesky Krumlov, a fantastic old town in southern Czech Republic.

It was a hot day and people were taking advantage of whatever shade was available. 
My son and I had stopped off on our way from Prague to Vienna on the recommendation of a friend. I am so glad we did because although we were just passing through this gen of a place was one of the highlights of the trip.

Open Hearted

Anyone who has seen my regular posts over the past few years will know that something I look for are nature's hearts. It can be pebbles, a cut tree trunk, even sea foam, but something that often produces beautiful natural hearts is emerging ferns.

I spotted this one yesterday and I really like how the heart in the foreground is opening up to reveal a smaller closed heart emerging in the background.

The settings for these two shots were slightly different and in the first shot the greens were not quite so fresh and vibrant so I used a black and white preset in Lightroom which I think works really well.  For those who prefer a more natural look the second image may be more up your street. 

Not a Red Breast but a Red Bill

Some of the most popular posts on my blog have been pictures of robins, they're such beautiful and iconic birds. 

Well this is a robin but not the type we're used to seeing in our gardens. It is a Pekin Robin, also known as a red billed leiothrix or Pekin Nightingale, Japanese Nightingale or Japanese Hill Robin. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent and not in Japan so don't be fooled by the name.

It has been introduced to the Hawaiian islands where it thrives. It has been introduced to parts of France as well. There was an unsuccessful attempt to introduce it to the UK so the only place in the UK.

It is a little gem, I wonder if it will be as popular to visitors to my blog as our native robin red breast.