harvesting begins

... as the fine weather shows signs of ending so the massive machines roll out to take in the harvest. They seem like great herbivorous dinosaurs plodding across the landscape, men perched on them like birds pecking at the parasites on buffalo

silver studded blue

... and this is (probably) a silver studded blue butterfly. We seem to have done plants and moved to insects.

and a cousin

probably a meadow grass hopper (in that it was in a meadow although when I think about it I do not lurch about so why am I a lurcher?) This picture was taken with a Nikon Cool Pix 880 on its macro scene setting so you don't need a very flashy camera to get good close ups. Even I could take a good picture.

anyone for cricket

this is a bush cricket, although I am not sure whether it is a dark bush cricket or a brown bog bush cricket, probably the latter given that this was in swampy terrain, although when I checked out the cricket link I was caught out by the variety and left feeling completely uncertain. The thing on the back is an ovipositor (I think) indicating that this is a female.

enchanter's nightshade

this picture shows the unusual two petal flower very clearly.

evening walk

another evocative image from last night's walk. We do not want to shout about what we think, we would rather whisper it softly and wait for you to come with us, join in and feel free.