A Rich Tapestry

 

We've decided to try and keep track of the various creatures that inhabit/visit our garden, starting with the Lepidoptera. Pictured, the first entry in this informal catalogue, which got itself trapped in the dining room/study this morning: a Speckled Wood [northern race]:- Parage aegeria. As I've said before, we're pretty well blessed with a garden that teems with wildlife, although the very hot spell recently has quietened it down somewhat. I've seen but one Hummingbird Hawk Moth so far, and the butterflies, apart from the above pictured have been mostly whites of various types; Peacocks, Painted Lady's and Red Admirals. The bee population has reduced a tad of late, but we still have plenty of the precious little pollinators around in this neck of the woods, compared to a lot of places, so no immediate concern is required. One thing that strikes is both the number of blackberries we have and how ripe they already are. The birds have already harvested most of our blackcurrants: let's hope we can get some of those blackberries for ourselves, before our avian friends turn their attention over to the bramble thickets. Our garden is a strange mixture of order and apparent chaos, but it provides a sympathetic environment for wildlife, which is our avowed intention: in return, it gives us great pleasure to have such a rich variety of life with which to share our home...