We have reached an officially measured total of 21.2kg/46.6 pounds of harvested plums. This is the all-time record haul since it started bearing fruit about fourteen years ago (we forget exactly). I think the insects can have their fill now, I’m feeling plummed out.
The insect was after the nectar. The flower wants its pollen moving on. I wanted the blackberries, the seeds of which will in turn be distributed. We all get something out of the transaction.
A bit more sunlight today — hardly high summer though. Heatwaves are just something other people are having. The buddleia seem happy, however, and there were plenty of butterflies around in the garden this afternoon.
A walk to the Lakes today, and there were some nice landscape shots I could have chosen, partly because I was thinking I had done the ‘nature close-up’ theme yesterday, and partly because the Lake District is usually quite nice to look at. But those who want to see more of what it looked like around Loweswater yesterday can check out my walking blog (well, one of them anyway). In the end I chose this because the light came out just right and it was not until I looked at it a third time, at least, that I noticed the companion insect hovering just above the Orange Tip. Are butterflies insectivorous? Perhaps it should be worried.
Sitting at a table on the forecourt of the Bay Horse pub in Oxenhope, I noticed this metallic-looking bug on the pipe next to me, took this picture, thought no more about it. Another one appeared in Clare’s glass, while fishing it out we discussed what species it was, had no idea. The decision was made that its colouring should be described as ‘bronze’. Then after moving on to watch the football, another appeared. Then another. Not swarms, but a constant stream. I still have no idea what type of insect this is, but there has certainly been a mass hatching of them in the Oxenhope area.
I’m not convinced about all the technicalities of this shot but it was done with an extremely long zoom (x80 at least) and in that respect it’s pleasing enough. We don’t really pick up any of the details on the wings of the Cabbage White but let’s not get too ambitious, eh — at least, not with my kit.
Perhaps, like this wasp, we are all trapped, aware of the world beyond the glass but frustratingly unable to reach it. But perhaps, again like this particular insect, there is a way out (undepicted here) at the bottom that we just haven’t found yet, we just need to change direction.
Respect the pollinators. This bee was giving our incipient loganberries some care and attention. It had put in a longer working day than me, anyway.
I said a few days ago that local fauna would start making some appearances: and on a day spent mostly indoors, marking, it was this or ‘dog in pub’. And I’ll see dogs in pubs more often than big, fat bumblebees being somewhat disoriented and disappointed by the fare on offer in our living room. I took the picture, but then I showed it the way out.
Today was the first day of my Easter holiday, and I definitely did very little. This insect was far busier. I know that even without deeply entering into its lifestyle, or anything.
Being 42 