It's been a while since our last entry, mainly because we've been so engrossed with getting to grips with clearing our new allotment. It's quite a challenge!
But things have continued apace in the garden as plants have begun to burst into bloom and the pond has erupted into life.
The borders are ablaze with summer colour now; big clumps of ox-eye daisy, clary sage, foxgloves, viper's bugloss all mingling together and attracting bees and other insects in profusion. The cornfield annual patch has been mainly a sulphur-yellow show of wild mustard so far, whilst at the very end of the garden the red campion is still a mass of pink. It's been flowering for weeks!
But things have continued apace in the garden as plants have begun to burst into bloom and the pond has erupted into life.
The borders are ablaze with summer colour now; big clumps of ox-eye daisy, clary sage, foxgloves, viper's bugloss all mingling together and attracting bees and other insects in profusion. The cornfield annual patch has been mainly a sulphur-yellow show of wild mustard so far, whilst at the very end of the garden the red campion is still a mass of pink. It's been flowering for weeks!
The pond is a hive of activity at the moment with damselflies constantly flying in tandem across it's surface, dipping their tails beneath the surface film to lay eggs. Early one evening a few weeks ago, the hawker dragonfly larvae headed on masse for the bankside sedge, and performed their magical transformations. Such a thrill to witness! Alas, the fading light levels meant that taking pictures was hit and miss but we managed a few shots.
Speckled wood and large white butterflies continue to grace the garden as do a whole host of other insects like the little beetle below found amidst the wild mustard flowers. I THINK it goes by the name of oedemera nobilis.