not stirring up a hornet's nest

the rarest largest and most docile of our native social wasps. This is a queen hornet building her nest out of masticated wood, under the eaves of an out house near Kelly Bray. She will lay her eggs in the comb (the structure appearing in the centre). She will feed them on chewed up flies until they emerge later in June at which point we may need to stand a bit further a

way.

ragged robin

a clump of ragged robin growing wild; it is very striking at a distance and yet it is a very isolated patch.

more agrions

the handsome male agrion and his smoky female posing before getting down to more serious business. The river banks are full of dragonflies and demoiselles.

entente cordiale

Spot is very concerned about the shortage of elderflower cordial that his friends and cousins across the sea are facing and has tracked down the address of an exclusive supplier. Although his blog is an advertising free zone he is happy to provide this link to the wonderful world of Duchy products, all organic and spoken to.

corncockle

the corncockle is extinct as a wild flower in Britain. These specimens grew from some seeds we brought back from a wild meadow on the border between Andorra and France two years ago. These pictures show two of its characteristic features, the very long sepals (green things sticking out behind the flower) and it is very hairy .

elderflower

elderflower bush growing in wall on an old quarry on South face of Kit Hill, Duchy College (to the left) and Stoke Climsland to the right.