Tag Archives: nature

Jul 14 2026
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Observing the bees

Monday 13th July 2026, 5.35pm (day 5,436)

Bees at work, 13/7/26

Respect the pollinators. I know bees are ‘social insects’ but do they socialise, particularly? When two come together like this are they in fierce competition or is it more like, “Hey Bob: make sure you check out the bit just to your left, there’s some good stuff over there”?

I pick the title of this post because it’s not just me watching them, either. The blob to the right is not a blemish on the lens (of which I have plenty) but some other little bug hanging around, and unless I’m mistaken you can see a second one just behind the wing of the rightmost bee. As you can see the weather stays clement — very pleasant stuff I think, although the grass in the garden is starting to go brown.

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Jul 10 2026
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Additional support needs?

Thursday 9th July 2026, 10.00am (day 5,432)

One-legged pigeon, 9/7/26

Whatever happened to its other leg it didn’t stop it soliciting donations of food this morning — not that I had any. There’s a guy regularly seen in Hebden who has only one leg but even he needs a crutch to get about, and as later evidence proved, this pigeon can still take off, propel itself through the air, and land perfectly competently. Its ASNs are therefore not too extensive.

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Jul 08 2026
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

More fruit (a lot more)

Tuesday 7th July 2026, 4.35pm (day 5,430)

Jostaberries, 7/7/26

It’s only ten days since I depicted the loganberries, but the fruit on the neigbouring jostaberry plant just looks so succulent at the moment, and there’s lots of it. I think I will try making jam with it. Jostas are a cross between blackcurrants and gooseberries and, according to the Bible (OK, Wikipedia), were first cultivated in Germany and first made available to the public in 1977. The original scientists can be assured that in the climate of Hebden Bridge their creation is doing very well.

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Jul 03 2026
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Goose lunch spot

Thursday 2nd July 2026, 12.05pm (day 5,425)

Geese lunching, 2/7/26

These three looked like they were having an amiable little chat while nibbling on the foliage that is exposed on the weir in the centre of town. Why shouldn’t they get together for lunch? Like humans, Canada geese seem a sociable enough species — at least, with each other. (World Cup reference: Go Canada!)

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Jun 28 2026
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Loganberries are go

Saturday 27th June 2026, 2.45pm (day 5,420)

Loganberries, 27/6/26

Fruit is just so much easier to grow than vegetables. You really don’t need to do much work and that suits my gardening style. While we were in Norway, the garden experienced ten days of warm weather with occasional showers, and things have responded accordingly. I didn’t pick these two today — they’re not quite ready — but there were plenty more around the place.

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Jun 16 2026
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Carnations

Monday 15th June 2026, 11.20am (day 5,408)

Dianthus, 15/6/26

Although this is changing soon, right now there is still not much happening in life, so let me offer more nature. Neither of us at first had any idea of the identity of these flowers, growing in a pot outside the front window. “I don’t even water them,” says C. “They just come up each year.” Google Lens it is, then, which informs us we have healthy specimens of Dianthus caryophyllus (the ‘Pink Kisses’ cultivar) merrily sprouting just underneath the gas meter.

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Jun 15 2026
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Butterfly, hiding

Sunday 14th June 2026, 11.00am (day 5,407)

Butterfly part obscured, 14/6/26

Was happy enough to capture this one with quite a long zoom, in focus and in frame, and so am prepared to ignore the green scar of the leaf, behind which the butterfly seems to be trying to hide. Hey, at least we were all out in the woods — it has stopped raining, at least for now.

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Jun 14 2026
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Get off my water

Saturday 13th June 2026, 5.30pm (day 5,406)

Goose and duck, 13/6/26

The goose certainly gives the impression of being rather annoyed with the mallard: who, in turn, seems to be making a conscious effort to get out of the way of its bigger cousin. Not an easy one to get right thanks to all the sparkles on the Hebden Water — as a result it’s overlit — but it just about works.

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Jun 09 2026
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At work in the garden

Monday 8th June 2026, 5.35pm (day 5,401)

Bee on flower, 8/6/26

A somewhat unexpected spell of sunshine (of which June has so far seen very little) got both me and this little feller working up in the allotment for a while. It’s good to see the bees getting busy and I suppose the same is true of me as well.

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Jun 05 2026
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Leek sprouts, and grubby window

Thursday 4th June 2026, 5.05pm (day 5,397)

Leeks and grubby window, 4/6/26

It’s time these went into the garden, to be honest, but in the last few days the rain has come down and grubbing around in dirt is less appealing. A few days ago I noted there was not going to be much variety on here for a while, and so it has proven; a sixth post in the last seven from Hebden Bridge, and the third to have been taken in or from the house. You can tell it’s our place because of the grubby windows: and apparently they were cleaned on Monday.

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