Natural highs and lows

On a recent trip to Hoy (not looking for dragons this time), I was obviously in close-up mode. Weather conditions were dry but blustery, so I'm not too sure why my macro shots worked better than my scenic or panorama ones. But my photos of Rackwick Bay and the Old Man of Hoy were all less than satisfying, so here's a selection of the views that were mainly at ground level. Actually, now that I think about it, for many of the flower/insect shots, I was holding the plant stem with my other hand! Ling Bell Heather Bearberry Arctic Bearberry (and Crowberry and Bearberry and Ling) Norwegian Wasp An early instar caterpillar of the Fox Moth On the path back from the Old Man, heading towards Rackwick Bay Crowberry Goldenrod Blaeberry (Bilberry). There should've been more berries in this shot, but I wasn't quick enough with my camera before someone ate them 🙄 Hoverfly, Volucella bombylans On the return route, whilst watching a couple of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies on some t...

After the excitement of a weekend of dragon hunting, things have cooled down over the last few days. There's been a chilly northerly breeze, some welcome rain and a lot of fog. Wildlife watching has been mainly confined to the garden, with a bit of photography possible between the precipitation. Spring's verdant flourish is long gone, Summer's blousy burgeoning is looking a little weary and there's had to be a concerted effort to tackle thistles and docks. Weirdly, those two absolute thugs of a plant do give some architectural structure to wherever they happen to be growing, trouble is, it's everywhere. Perhaps due to the drought conditions, everything is rushing to seed, so that it does feel as though a corner has been turned and Summer's wane is underway. However, there is still plenty of colour to appreciate amongst the unruly wildness of this small plot. Crocosmia 'Lucifer', Mallow and Yellow Loosestrife Crocosmia 'Lucifer' There are very few...