shepherd's purse

as my reference book states, shepherd's purse is a remarkably successful weed, only notable for its seed pod which was likened to the bag or wallet wherein shepherds carried their lunch into the field. Also known as mother's heart. The Latin name is capsella bursa pastoris, a straight translation from the vernacular name.

fallen to earth

a blackbird chick, barely visible in foliage of Christmas box; it looks too immature to have fledged and it may be that it has simply fallen out of the nest which lies deeper in the bush. Both parents continue to feed it on the ground and we will try to leave well alone and not allow him to become a morsel on Harriet's lunch menu. At least cats, the main predators of small animals in rural Britain, are not common in our garden for fear of being Harriet's main course.

more moth eaten

and a much less gaudy moth extremely well disguised as a leaf.It is very difficult to identify but it could be a common rustic or a pale mottled willow moth (on the grounds that common things are common).

painted ladies

a rather faded painted lady ... apparently they have been arriving in great clouds blown in from North Africa on warm winds from the South. No wonder they look a bit jaded. Once again they have arrived at the same time as ragged robin is out (see link from 2006). There are hundreds of them around. How do they get back to Africa?

more from the world of small flowers

the unbelievably exotic flower of the pick-a-back plant (aka tolmiea menziesii), which is very small but spreading everywhere shady, and, below, the mysterious beard at the entrance to cowwheat. What do all these bits and appendages do?

four orchids and a fun day

the fourth orchid of the day, the southern marsh orchid, and below, a close up of the very small but very beautiful eyebright. We are working hard on these close ups to keep up with our friends in the USA.