the darling buds of ... May

mayflower (cuckoo flower, milkmaids, smocks, Virgin Mary etc etc) has been about for a couple of weeks, so we know May is here.

no flies on our lichen

the bee like fly on our guardian lion is (probably) the drone fly, a large hive bee mimic.


It was very attracted to the lion for some reason, possibly to do with the lichens growing on the stone.

four dogs and a butterfly

the colourful upper surface of the wings of the orange tip makes it stand out in sharp contrast to the very effective leaf camouflage on the underside of the wings. There were a lot of butterflies about today including a peacock, speckled woods and various whites. Perhaps this year will be better for them all than last year. The title of this blog? You try wild life photography with this lot.

another returnee, chiffchaff serenading the moon

another late spring migrant, the chiff chaff, named for its unrelenting incessant call

they are back now

our local population of swallows and martins arrived back today. What a pleasure to see Nature's clock still ticking and all's well with the world. Only 4 days later than last year, so the volcanic ash couldn't ground these long distance air travellers.

The eyes are the window of the soul

Psyche is usually portrayed with the wings of a butterfly, and has come to represent the soul, so I wonder what this early speckled wood is thinking when it looks me in the eye.


Oh, for a nice piece of flowering blackthorn? And black it is.

i