Natural highs and lows

This blog tends to concentrate on parochial environmental topics, rarely touching on global political affairs. For example, the changing roll call of birds seen through the year as the seasonal mass movement of feathered creatures wing their way around the planet, outrageously ignoring any lines drawn on a map. Or, even closer to my heart, the androgyny of dragonflies and damselflies as they seek a bit of peace, away from testosterone-fuelled madness. And yet, morning after morning, the news is full of another act of war by an aggressor state. I kid you not, as I typed those words, there were actual rumbles of thunder. I had to double check, but a real time lightning app confirmed it. But I digress, back to wildlife in and around an Orkney garden. This week, there was wondrous news in the Comments section when AF identified the smaller beetles which have turned up at the pond. He wasn't sure of the exact species, but the genus is Helophorus . To arrive at the specific name, I will ...

On the wildlife front, things have been quite low key this past week, perhaps we've reached that mellow point of Summer when it is noticeable that the year is turning. Until I moved to Orkney, I had never considered which species of wildflower was the last to come into bloom in Summer - it's Devil's-bit Scabious, here - and that feels like more of a slippery slope to mid-Winter than the departing of Puffins or other auks. Yes, it is also much quieter bird-wise, with an end to the frantic feathered fecundity for our breeding species, little in the way of birdsong and a steady trickle of migrants heading back south. Looking at the images I have taken during the last week or so, there's a preponderance of insects, beginning with a moth discovered on the rear bumper of my van whilst visiting Stronsay. I think this is a Dark Arches. Whether I took it with me from Mainland, picked up a stowaway on the ferry or it was a Stronsay resident, I will never know. A late afternoon wa...