Natural highs and lows

One day last week, we went along on a trip to the island of Wyre organised by the Orkney Field Club. We caught the ferry from Tingwall in West Mainland to Rousay and then on to Wyre. This is a place that I had not previously visited, a small island with a population of less than ten, featuring some 12th Century ruins, farming on a less industrial scale than normal and, consequently, more wildlife. We spent the day pottering the length of the place and back, exploring road verges, field edges, abandoned gardens, an old cemetery wall at St Mary's Chapel and the remains of Cubbie Roo's castle. Photographing insects and wildflowers was a little tricky due to a stiff westerly breeze (or perhaps I just couldn't see what I was focussing on due to the bright sunlight), but I have managed to salvage some crisper shots from the day. The view across Wyre Sound to Rousay An ichneumon wasp from the Genus Ophion on a Hogweed umbel We found several species of Fumitory growing in the field...

As we reached that time of year known as Mid-Summer's Day, it almost felt like the beginning of a period of pleasant and warm weather. We've been here before though, mesmerised by May and then frozen by February June. As seems to be the way of late, the Met Office struggle with guessing our weather, at least I hope they're just guessing because the resultant predictions aren't worth the price of a mains cable for their super computer. It could be said, this isn't the Met Office's finest hour. Still, come hail or shine, it is flight season for the winged jewels which so entrance me. A trip to a nearby pool (hmmm, still not dug your pond then, NaHaL?), brought the happy sight of dozens of damselflies: many energetic and mature adult Large Reds and a similar number of  pale-coloured wraith-like Blue-tails making their maiden flights.  The Large Reds must have been approaching their peak, the males defending small patches of vegetation at the water's edge and b...

Whisper it quietly, there have been tentative signs that Winter is loosening her grip on the land. Yesterday, a short walk between showers was memorable for singing Skylarks and feisty Robins. There were a few floral surprises too. In a very sheltered verge, some Common Hogweed was in bloom, blatantly not waiting its turn in the normal order of white umbellifer flowering dates. Nearer to home (just across the road) another verge was beginning to reveal the shoots of dozens of Coltsfoot. During a sunny spell last week, when I was wandering around the garden, I noticed some insects buzzing about the flowers of Snowdrops and Crocuses. On closer inspection, these turned out to be honey bees, how very hardy of them! Chatting with a local beekeeper later that day, she confirmed that the daytime temperatures had been just about bee-friendly, so she wasn't too surprised. So, in celebration of that joyous sign of Spring, here's the Afro Celt Sound System, and their wonderful fusion of A...