I'm not sure where to start. I've spent my forum-free days admiring the insect diversity in the garden and I've taken a lot of photos of interesting things. The hoverflies alone could take up a whole page. I've found at least 16 species and that's just the polite ones who sit still long enough for a photo. I made a montage (which can also probably be blamed on the lack of forum...)
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
This might be my favourite insect though. A ruby tiger moth annoyingly it was perched on a stick in the middle of the pond which made for tricky photography.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
yes, we don't get jersey tiger here in rural upland yorkshire but in southern england up to ceredigion level they are common. i have caught one cinnabar adult at he moth trap and see lots of adults and larvae each year. I suppose because im on uplands thefarming isnt intensive. Pansyfaces moth judging by the distinctive shape and yellow border is a common footman. There you do indeed have a Pine Hawk Moth caterpillar. I am an experienced moth-er who has been active for 6yrs.
I've been taking few photos since lock down, but the Schwegler bee box I put up last year is full. Thanks @wild edges for the recomm. This model is similar, though not the same as mine. Occupations levels are much higher than the three other random ones I have (of bamboo tubes etc) and the drilled logs on top of the shed. The local bees seem to prefer pretty narrow tubes (narrower than the logs I drilled). I will drill more logs this week (left over fire wood) on a narrower gauge and see if that helps.
Two frogs returned after a long gap. The had disappeared after I clean ut my micro-pond ast summer. No blue tits or swifts nesting in the boxes. Lots of hyper cute baby foxes. More birds in my front garden - sparows, blackbirds, robins - out for the first time since I moved in eight years ago.
Does it seem to be a mammoth year for bumble bees? I can't tell if I'm spending more time and attention watching them or if there really are more. I've gone to mostly wildlife planting, so maybe that's helping too. V hard to tell.
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@Big Blue Sky I get cinnabar moths in my garden but they don't sit still for photos!