The Aster Project
My most contrived project of the year begins to grow in April and eventually reaches fruition by the end of October….basically I let Asters overtake the whole of my doorstep wilderness and then patiently wait for a few sunny days when hoverflies, bees, butterflies and the occasional damselfly descend on the flowers for the abundance of nectar before the chill of autumn kicks in… 😉
Fat of the Land
This summer I’ve noticed quite a lot of small tortoiseshells flapping about, which is a relief, having heard reports of diminishing numbers due to several poor summers…
Fortunately this summer has exceeded everyones’ expectations of what a Northern European summer should be, usually it rains a lot with temperatures below normal….but this year it has been warm, dry and sunny…really, the last summer like this was exactly 10 years ago.
These photographs were taken on one of the hottest days…these thistles, dripping with nectar and full of pollen, were most popular with the bees, butterflies and hoverflies….as you can see. 😉
Territorial Disputes
This peacock had to fight for his place on the wooden jetty between the reedbeds….if he wandered to far from his own allocated area then he became confronted with a small tortoiseshell who wouldn’t give way to his larger opponent…
a heartical view 