Natural highs and lows

One of the bloggers I follow is B of Coastal Ripples from Jersey, the largest of the Channels Islands. At a rough guestimate, that's about 675 miles (over 1000km) south of Orkney, so from a seasonal perspective it is always interesting to see what's happening nearer the Equator. B's photos of the landscapes, architecture and wildlife around her are wonderful, not least when she and her husband go on holiday to other scenic places. I don't know where B finds the time, but she partakes in several blog series each year, a skill requiring a great deal of dedication and stamina, especially where there's one post a day for a whole month. I could not possibly hope to emulate this, but am very much in awe of her perseverance and inventiveness. B is also part of the monthly "Through The Garden Gate" series begun by S of Down By The Sea. Once a month, we are treated to what's happening in the garden, what's blooming and how vistas are changing. Now, I'm ...

The late May bank holiday proved to be an outlier on the Bell curve, as it was mainly warm and dry. We'll take that, I think. A pootle around the garden with my camera set to macro mode proved fruitful. Tree Wasps basking on a window sill A hoverfly, Rhingia campestris Cocksfoot Moth A hoverfly, we're still ruminating over ID Stocky Mason Wasp, Ancistrocerus oviventris A hoverfly, Leucozona lucorum In fact, the weather was so insect-friendly, it brought on a trip to the Stenness hills where I was shown my first damselfly of the year. Large Red Damselfly Towards evening, the front door step was the location for another homely wildlife encounter. I just hope it wipes its feet properly. Flat-backed Millipede