a few things we haven't seen locally 3

and a bee hawk moth on a clary (wild or meadow) of some sort

The flower appears to have closed around a visiting hover fly in the bottom picture, I guess to improve pollination.

a few things we haven't seen locally 2

and a bee orchid (ophrys apifera)

colour in France 16

and finally, a self portrait of the artist at work. Spot is happy to allow his photographer to have a day in the sun now that he is out of the kennels. The studio in Rodes belongs to our friend Shelagh Hickman, an original and colourful artist. Please visit her web site.

colour in France 15 egret and canal

the Brest Canal plus egret, a very white looking bird with black wing tips suggests it was a solitary cattle egret but no firm conclusion was reached after much discussion with local wild life experts. Napoleon canalised a river to produce this lovely canal. To keep away from the belligerent English?? I don't believe it.

colour in France 14 toadflax

purple toadflax growing by the wayside in Brittany. The upper two petals remind me of my own ears. Perhaps this plant should be renamed purple dog with tongue hanging out

colour in France 13 roses of Brittany

a collection of beautiful roses grown in Gwernagog, St Goazac, Brittany by a man who knows his onions.

colour in France 12

large bell flowers in a beautiful translucent blue

colour in France 11 pansies

more pansies. The amazing capacity of this plant to produce colours has been harnessed to produce the enormous range of colours seen in the larger garden pansy.

colour in France 10 pansies

violas (or wild pansies). Pansy is derived from the French pensée for thought, and the flower is a symbol of remembrance, and with love, both appropriate sentiments for our trip to France.

colour in France 9 dragonflies

and we are very glad that these dragonflies do not breathe fire on us, we are hot enough as it is.

colour in France 8 sheep's-bit

some sort of sheep's bit showing the sepal tube with blue strap like petals and the minute delicate white stigma

colour in France 7 pinks

aptly named pinks, but I am not sure which one

colour in France 6 burnet moths

transparent (now why call them transparent?) spot burnet moths having a good time on yarrow

colour in France 5 short tailed ichneumon wasp

everyone loves a good bug picture, I am just glad this short (!) tailed ichneumon wasp does not prey on dogs.

colour in France 4 knapweed

rayed knapweed

colour in France 3 fritillary

Some sort of fritillary feeding on wild thyme. There are so many different species of fritillary that it is hard to identify them without expert knowledge and some luck. French butterflies seem unusually frisky.

colour in France 2

these images from the high meadows show why France was the home of impressionist painting.

colour in France

It might have been a dog's life for some these last two weeks but some of us were having a good time. These pictures illustrate what we have lost by allowing our meadows and wilderness to be destroyed. This is a good picture to start with for someone who is green(ish) with envy