THE BLACK, ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY

We've come to an everything moment in the year. Flowers and berries and seeds all mixed up in the hedgerows. Always, always, I like to see Alexander seeds; their black glossyness, their shapes.

Blackberry flowers are pretty. More important (to me!) - their fruits are forming. Buds, flowers, fruits all on the same plant, all there in the fuzzy background.

Down the path, towards the sea. Stop. Let's stand still.

Wild Clematis - Traveler's Joy - Old Man's Bear - the same plant.

It stretches out.

It produces flowers - small, pretty, about half an inch across. The seed heads will be massive and hairy - beards!

And under the blackberry bushes - Herb Robert.

Something was striking me. No butterflies. Lots of buddleia but no butterflies. I walked down towards the sea and, just as the path opened out - black butterflies. I've not seen black butterflies before. I chased them around, camera in hand. It was sunny. Surely, one would stop in the sun and spread its wings. Isn't that what butterflies do? I trampled the grass. Had my way stopped by reeds. The butterflies stayed in the air, alighting for fractions of seconds - then off again. Then I saw a white butterfly with black dots - a sort of marble effect. That wouldn't stop still either. None on the buddleia. New (to me) ones in the open. Odd year!

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AFTER THE GRASS WAS CUT

Last month, I posted about the wild plants in a park. After that, the grass grew and grew until it was like a low level field of (wall?) barley. It turned honey brown. Scarlet pimpernels spread. Their flowers were open more often. But when the light was bright the wind blew and the field rippled; lovely to watch but not particularly enjoyable as a photographic blur. When the plants stood still, the sun went behind clouds. I postponed and postponed until, one day, the sun came out, it wasn't raining and the wind had dropped and . . .

and a man came along and cut it down.

Later, I went to look.

 Cut-leaved Crane's-bill (Geranium dissectum)

Part of the cut-leafed cranesbill, was still there by the roundabout but nearly everything else had gone.

There were

feathers.

There was a mangled pine cone.

Chopped up clocks.

COMMON ROUGH WOODLICE - Porcellio scaber

And woodlice on a decaying stump. Apparently these woodlice have two pairs of lungs - take a look at UK Safari.

Anagallis arvensis
Scarlet Pimpernel flower - just the flower - fallen when the grass was cut.

And at last, briefly, the pimpernel flowers, detached from their stalks and roots, were open and still. It was hard not to be sad.
If the grass is not cut, tins and bottles can fall in it, be hidden by it, be ready to cut anyone who sits there or falls. It has to be done. I'm glad it is done - except for the part of me that isn't.

For help with  IDs - iSpot

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FOLLOWED TREES AND INCIDENTAL INSECTS

How's your tree following?

SWOLLEN-THIGHED BEETLE
(Oedemera (Oedemera) nobilis)

When I chose my clump of elderberry trees I decided to follow a particular leaf bud on one of them. 'This,' I thought 'will be interesting'.

At first, it was. But once the leaf had opened, it got stuck where it was. Everything else grew. I keep returning to the tree to photographing the non-growing leaf - but the results are hardly riveting. I've been back to take pictures of the flowers - then they were cut off by the council as it came by on its annual trim back. Most of the blossom was shaken off when they did it so there are spikes where the flowers were and very few berries.

Fortunately, there are others close nearby so I'll add what happens to them in my extended tree.

National Insect Week

It's a cross over moment. Berries are forming but there are flowers still. They are neither as profuse nor as big as in other years (there have been seasons when the trees and bushes look as if they are spinning big, white plates) . . . and on them . . . here! above . . . A Swollen-thighed Beetle. And just look at its thighs too! I didn't name it. I'd have called it 'The Beetle With Massive Thighs' for it isn't ill. Its legs aren't swollen because it hasn't been taking enough exercise. This is its natural state. And isn't it beautiful? I think he's a he and his presence diverted me from my elderberry intentions.

iSpot

Already we were coming to the end of National Insect Week and, as it happened, I had already taken a few pictures of insects that morning and the day before so I hurried home and . . . began to find out (with the magnificent help of iSpot) what they are.

On blackberry flowers (where the fruits are already forming)

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

And sharing a (Spear?) thistle;

on the right, a Garden Bumble bee

(Bombus hortorum)








and, on the left, a Common Carder bee
(Bombus (Thoracombus) pascuorum)

Single roses in the hedgerow

are host to Shield Bugs mating
(Palomena prasina)

or waiting (?) in the sunshine, on hips already forming

a Lagria Hirta (which, I think, is also called a 'Darkling Beetle', beautiful name, no?).

As for the tree following? Can't let go of the Sycamore. Some of the ivy has been stripped from it or cut - but, here it is still, being magnificent!

I expect I should have posted this a week ago. Never mind - here's a Happy Insect Week; after all, insects are here every week.

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