Dilly Dilly

 

Here are a couple of shots of some lavender flowers as they emerge in my garden.

We used to have a massive lavender plant in our front garden, planted in an old chimney stack. It was so large it would beat against our window when the wind was blowing. I was a beautiful display of colour and so fragrant. No one else had lavender in our street and it was nice to see people stop to admire it and to take in the scent.

Sadly it got so old and woody so it has been replaced with some younger plants which are just now coming into their own.

They are such beautiful flowers, and the scent is so relaxing, it is no wonder that lots of hotel rooms use pictures of lavender to soothe their guests.

A Very Hungry Caterpillar

 

This is the caterpillar of the Grey dagger moth, it was one of several that were making a meal of our small willow tree.

The gets its name from the black dagger like markings on its dusty grey wings, but the caterpillar as you can see is very brightly coloured with a striking red and yellow colour scheme and a dramatic black hump a short way along its back.

This is a fairly common species and can be seen munching on leaves through the summer months from July to October before they find shelter under loose bark or in rotten wood in November where they overwinter as pupae before emerging in spring as a moth.

Cat and Mouse

Yesterday I shared a couple of the first pictures taken using my newest lens and today I am sharing two of the very last pictures taken with the old 150-600 mm Tamron lens that I traded in...

I had been doing some washing up and looking out into the garden I spotted a little mouse scurrying around beneath the bird feeders helping himself to a tasty meal from the seeds that had fallen to the ground. What he didn't realise was that as well as me watching his every move was being followed by the neighbour's cat Rosie who was poised on top of our shed. I went for my camera never really expecting to get a clear shot and as I opened the door to the garden the little mouse shot into this crack in the wall leaping straight up and disappearing inside. I realised there was a pile of soil at the base of the wall indicating that the mouse has probably made a nest in a hollow behind the wall.

I figured that it would have to come out eventually so I waited a few minutes as quietly and still as I could and then I was rewarded as it slowly popped its head out and then came out to go feed some more allowing me just enough time to get this cute portrait. 

All the while Rosie watched intently but couldn't muster the energy or enthusiasm to make a move so the little mouse was safe for another day. 

Dilly Dilly

So the title of the blog is a reference to a song that harks back to when my daughter was very small and that I heard in a movie over the weekend and which perfectly fits with the subject of this post.

We have always, or for as long as I can remember had a lavender plant in out front garden, at times it has become large and unruly and needed pruning right back. In the last year we have had to replace it so at present it is just a small bush but even so it has been full of beautiful fragrant flowers.

I love lavender because of the colour, the furry texture of the tiny buds and the fact that they attract so many pollinators. They also remind me of hotels for some reason. 

Garden Life

I don't have much of a garden and I can take no credit for anything that grows in it but that doesn't stop me enjoying it in any way.

The front garden is particularly small and features a number of hardy fuchsias that keep flowering year after year and a massive lavender plant that waves about in the wind and provides a feast for hundreds (if not thousands) of bees throughout the summer.

The other day I spotted this unusual wasp flying among the plants. There was another similar to this one that was flying around with a small fly clasped between its front legs. Sadly that one didn't settle anywhere long enough for me to get a clear shot but I am fairly happy with this one. I believe that it is a Digger Wasp and if you follow this link you can see a really good photo of one holding a fly just as I observed ( click here) 

The spider in the second image had spun its web between two plants and was patiently waiting for a meal to come along. I am really not a fan of spiders but I cannot deny that this is a little beauty.

Episyrphus balteatus

There are apparently over 250 different species of hover fly in the UK. Lots look like and are often mistaken for bees or wasps. This little beauty is actually one of the most common varieties with very distinctive colourful bands. It was feeding on the nectar of this little flower growing on the wall in my garden, they are quite harmless and very beautiful.

Coming In To Land

Today I have taken a break from my #canadianadventure pictures and gone for something closer to home.

In front of my house we have a really spectacular lavender plant growing and as well as producing a bumper crop of fragrant seeds it is a big draw for various species of bees and butterflies right through the summer months. Even now when the flowers are past their best there are always loads of bees to be seen but it takes a great deal of patience to get a decent shot because they're always on the move. I was really pleased to catch this one just as it came in to land, even with a fast shutter the wings are still little more than a blur.