We occasionally see a flash of brown and yellow through the trees and hedges in the garden as a sparrowhawk swoops down on a sparrow or goldfinch but never before have I seen one sat so close to the house, posing for a photograph, and in the pouring rain.
A souther hawker dragonfly. These dragonflies are very territorial, and will often hover around an intruder, providing a rare opportunity to photograph a dragonfly in flight. Meanwhile a male moorhen is tiptoe-ing across the lily pads. We have been cut off from the internet for the last 7 days and Spot is most unimpressed!
Another caterpillar, this time of the elephant hawk moth, trying to find a safe place in the grass and leaves. When disturbed this enormous caterpillar rears its head and waves about in an attempt to look sinister. Its head is actually much smaller than it looks, and it retreats into the bulge on top of which are the two large simulated eyes.
