wildlife

[Gail]

Thank you - that looks right. I hadn't known that the longhorns is such a large family (over 35,000 species), or that the scientific name of the Cerambycidae comes from the shepherd Cerambus who was transformed into a large beetle after an argument with nymphs. Beware of arguing with nymphs...

[Leena]

There has been a lot of butterflies this summer, and during the past week there were more than 20 Argynnis paphia in the garden.
They like Origanum vulgare but their most favourite plant is Serratula tinctoria.

[Tristan_He]

That's spectacular Leena! I take it you live near the woods then? This large and spectacular butterfly is one of my favourites, they are such strong fliers.

Here we call it the silver-washed fritillary, because the green pattern on the hindwing looks like it has a thin coat of silver over it. I see one of your females is also the uncommon silver-grey form.

Sadly we don't have this one in this part of Wales, though you do get it further south. Here we have a population of small pearl-bordered fritillary (Boloria selene) and very occasionally, dark green fritillary (Argynnis aglaja).

[Leena]

Thanks Tristan:). Ten years ago there were none of those big butterflies here, but in the past years they have become more common.
This year is the best, and also the first time there were the silver grey form in our garden. Garden is surrounded by woods:).
I hope they stay here and next year we will see even more of them.
Argynnis aglaja is rare here, one summer some years ago there were couple of them, I think they migrated from more south.
Argynnis adippe is the next plentiful of those orange butterflies in my garden.

[Gail]

Fabulous photos Leena. I saw a few at The Stone Pit at Holt on Saturday but sadly they don't visit me...

[Gabriela]

There has been a lot of butterflies this summer, and during the past week there were more than 20 Argynnis paphia in the garden.
They like Origanum vulgare but their most favourite plant is Serratula tinctoria.

Beautiful scene with butterflies Leena.
We seem to have less butterflies in the garden this year. In our parts Vernonia species (Ironweeds) which have flowers similar with Serratula are also particulalry liked by all butterflies.

[cohan]

Always nice to see butterflies Lots of fritillaries here too, not sure if that many at once though!

[ArnoldT]

This is a bit of 'wildlife'.

Wife shot it on the back steps.  I was surprised.  Normally she would run from a scene like this.

 

[Maggi Young]

This is a bit of 'wildlife'.

Wife shot it on the back steps.  I was surprised.  Normally she would run from a scene like this.

Bit too wild for me - I've always had a horror of mantids! Scary looking critters at the best  of times!
Kudos to Mrs T. !!

[Lesley Cox]

A mantis consuming some kind of fly for lunch? From the text alone I thought your wife must have encountered a bear or something as large on the back steps and gone for the shotgun!

[ArnoldT]

Lesley

Sorry if I mislead you.

We do get bears, deer, possums and the occasional racoon here.  I'm just 10 miles from mid-town Manhattan.

Not really the wild kingdom.

[cohan]

I feel most successful as a gardener when I see the huge numbers and endless variety of pollinators and insect predators etc of all sorts!
A couple of bees on Veronica- there were at least 3 different kinds of bumblebees, leafcutters, drone flies and more, just in a short time..
Malva is popular too, but nothing draws the pollinating hordes like plants with masses of small flowers! Some of the composites and others draw as many wasps as bees..

[ashley]

I agree completely Cohan.  It's a joy to see many & various pollinators in the garden; other wildlife too.

First time I've come across this in the garden, a mossy rose gall produced by the wasp Diplolepis rosae:


 

[ashley]

A miniature but fearsome predator in the garden, the pygmy shrew Sorex minutus. 
Reputed to have red-tipped teeth due to iron deposits that resist wear, but I didn't ask to see

[ian mcdonald]

Well spotted Ashley.