My Garden: Interesting Moths, Bees etc

Great to see the Currant Clearwing back in the garden this year - I like the way the sheen on its tail plumes echoes the Anchusa flowers. It was joined by another relatively scarce moth the Orange Conch ,which was climbing up its foodplant, Ragwort, in the front lawn/meadow. Several new bees were also observed this last week - the Blue Mason Bee my favourite. Both Southern hawkers and Broad-bodied Chasers around the pond during the week.

Open Gardens (NGS) Toft

Three Gardens were open in Toft yesterday for the National Gardens Scheme which raises valuable money for nursing and health charities. I started at the largest, Manor Cottage by the church with its sweeping lawn, meadow, copse and herbaceous borders. Old Horse Yard is more compact and very beautifully laid out with its arches, paths and geometric beds. By the time I got to the third garden on Comberton Road the thunderstorm was arriving but certainly time to appreciate a garden started from scratch in 2020 which reimagines a late 18th century garden with four interconnected zones including my favourite, a Ritual Landscape Zone, which was full of British native plants.

Some Inhabitants of Pumphouse Meadow Paxton Pits

The Deerfly and Horse Fly are two inhabitants of Paxton Pits best avoided as they can result in painful bites, others like the two striped Hoverflies are harmless despite their warning colours. Around 100 species of insects etc were recorded and probably about the same number of plants

2023 Earliest Sunrise

 Today (June 17th), the sun rose at 4.37am and continues at this time until June 21st when it will rise at 4.38am and then progressively later  till December!. I caught it just as it came over the horizon and then above the treeline. I was rewarded for an early start by a group of Hares at close range though not for long! and a very vocal Whitethroat. On our pond, a Southern Hawker was emerging.

Male Marbled Whites Have Emerged

There were numerous Marbled Whites on Royston Heath this afternoon - all males and keen to feed on the Thistles. Red Kites flew overhead while a pair of mating Robber flies clung on to swaying grasses. The other chalk flowers were Knapweed-Broomrape, Bee Orchids, Clustered Bell Flower, Dropwort and seeds of the Pasque Flower