Sunday, July 19, 2009

Eden images

images from one of our regular trips to the Eden Project .



my hand too


the giant seed pod


meadow flowers


that horsey look

and pigs in domes

Friday, July 10, 2009

don't throw sticks

There was an item on our local news tonight (see link)about advice from a vet not to throw sticks for dogs in case they catch them in the air and the stick sticks in their throats. Cassie would like to speak to him about gratuitous advice and dog rights. Try throwing this one.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

a roll in the hay

no matter, it's that time of year again, time for a roll in the hay and a roll on the hogweed if you can get it.

two variable longhorn beetles. The female is much larger than the male. The larvae live in tree stumps and dead wood.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

the last of the summer wine 2

Hemp agrimony, the third of the tall hedgerow plants with large flat or daisy like flowers to appear after meadowsweet and valerian, and before orpine. The forest of long white styles is characteristic of this plant which is much favoured by butterflies as summer goes on. Named eupatorium after Mithradates VI Eupator, King of Pontus in 120BC.

pink hogwash

a spotted longhorn beetle on some pink hogweed (it is usually a greyish white). Hogweed seems to attract a wide range of unsavoury types including horse and other biting flies. The better class of umbellifer attract butterflies and bees. Why?

the last of the summer wine

this tattered and exhausted butterfly is the end result of days of flying about in the sun, avoiding birds, rain, and high winds. I am not even sure what type of butterfly it is. One of the brown family (meadow or hedge).


Looks like I feel these days, and how Spot looks at his best, ragged.