more and more blogging

on a more mundane note, this pretty flower is hedge cranesbill, which I have probably seen but not noticed before. The lower picture is from another type of cranesbill but shows the bill in question. We are not entirely convinced by the analogy but we don't see many cranes around here.

we must blog on

the French have stopped sending us their great thunderous clouds of rain, so at last life can emerge from the swamp once more. This little insect was a complete mystery but, Spot thinks, this is a female glow worm or larva, not that he has ever seen one before. They sometimes climb up on grasses to flash themselves about more widely (soi disant, to maintain the French theme today). Our source of information (The Illustrated Book of Insects, 1979) informs us that they eat snails, by injecting them and then drinking the dissolved fluids (sounds tres gastronomique). Given the weather we clearly need a lot more of them. Are we the only ones who find it very difficult to identify certain things like insects on the internet but very easy then to use the internet to verify something once we have half an idea what it is (for example see this link)? Is there a way round this? Googlmology?

editor's note:- Lisa has pointed out that this is a ladybird larva, (see link) so this was a mis-Spot. Would we have ever have found out without the internet? It illustrates the axiom popular with most doctors, common things are common, and hen's teeth don't grow on trees.

flood doggling

maybe Spot and co knew something we didn't because the rain was torrential this afternoon. The scene at Beals Mill was one of devastation. No one can remember floods like this before. And then the sun came out.

Portwrinkle

the beach at Portwrinkle. The local flora is as quirky as the flora on the North Cornwall coast.

red damselflies

red damselflies mating at Tredis farm near Polbathic. These are common but we never see them locally.

on St German's quay

the viaduct over the river Tiddy, and the quay at St Germans near Polbathic where we went to see some paintings. Notice sunny weather, but storm clouds over home where we returned later to find 4 quivering poodles in fear of the thunder and lightning.