Garden Project 13 - In the Summer Heat

The garden is a mass of flowers and insects at the moment. Here are photos from the small  meadow, vegetable patch, pond, flower beds and woodland meadow area. The best insect species are the teasels, scabious, wild carrot and wild parsnip, knapweed, ragwort, linaria, marguerites and evening primrose.

Hunstanton Birds

I spent Friday morning on Hunstanton Beach, watching and attempting to photograph some of the birds including the colony of 

Fulmars that nest on the cliff in the company of Swifts. As the tide went out the rocks were visited by Oyster Catchers, Cormorant, Curlew, Redshank and various Gulls including Mediterranean with the eye ring and pure white plumage.

What No Supermoon

On Wednesday evening we were promised the brightest full moon in 2022 so I chose a good view point and waited. Unfortunately a bank of cloud completely covered the eastern sky although the western sky presented a lovely colourful sunset. In the field, the harvest is underway.

Purple Emperor at Fermyn Woods

Our RPS outing to Fermyn Woods produced the required target species Purple Emperor and 2 species of Hairsteaks (White-letter and Purple)  though not great  photographic opportunities. However, there were lots of other species to practise on including Broad-bodied Chaser, abundant Peacocks and Large Skippers.

Sunrise in Toft

 A few images from a recent early morning walk close to home in Toft. There was some mist to give a bit of atmosphere  but it was the golden colours that took my eye.

Bradfield Wood - Fritillaries and White Admirals

Bradfield Woods, Suffolk, has a very abundant population of Silver-washed Fritillaries along with White Admirals and Purple Emperors. We were not lucky enough to find the Emperors but the SWFritillaries were wonderful in the hot bright sunshine whether alone or interacting with other butterflies or insects. I was intrigued by the silhouettes that they cast through the leaves. 

The White admirals have very ornate underwings and simple upper wings. Image 7 shows that the scales that give the white colour are translucent letting the light through in the shadows.