Growing antlers

Small things that once flew

Ribwort plantain

A summer favourite. 

Although common they brighten up any meadow at this time of year.

The Cockchafer beetle

The Cockchafer beetle Melolontha melolontha (also known as a May-bug) is 2-3cm long and blunders about at night at this time of year. When you have a chance to look at them closely they are rather beautiful and surprisingly hairy. 

They are quite noisy beetles and if I'm out in the evening they tend to get caught in my fringe - which is alarming. Although I've managed, through experience, to stifle my instinct to scream.

The Common Pheasant

Clearly king of the meadow

Turkey follow up

OK, once you get over the 'wattle gag reflex' they are mightily impressive birds.

Fascinatingly disgusting

It's a turkey

Goslings

These Canada Geese goslings were almost a green colour. 

Balls of fluff who blended in perfectly with the grass.

Some of them looked exhausted in the sudden heat

Heads all down to nibble the grass. 

Sparring Yaffles

These two Green Woodpeckers were clearly very annoyed with each other. 

But after a short shouting match and a bit of leapfrog there was clearly a winner.

Autumn

A season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.

Skeleton leaf

An old ivy leaf. A beautiful piece of natural lace. Certainly something to keep.

A comfortable boat

Wild weeds

In my world weeds are beautiful

Butterflies

It has been rather too cool for butterflies so far this spring. 

This Speckled Wood needed a bit of sunshine before showing itself in the garden this week. 

There have been Holly Blues, Cabbage Whites and one Brimstone in the garden. The Brimstone was fantastic, only the second one I've ever seen. I only managed to snatch a couple of shots of it on purple Honesty flowers. 

Grass pollen

Now is the best time to admire grasses. The closer you look the more you see. This was picked yesterday afternoon, this morning there has been an explosion of pollen.

The nest

What could be more beautiful than a bird's nest? 

So much hard work has gone into creating it. This one was found face down on the ground. 

Maybe it was blown out of a tree in the recent windy weather. 

GREEN

Because it simply IS the best colour

Take off

No matter how many times I see swans taking off it never ceases to amaze me how 

much effort is involved. 

Swan family

The cygnets need grown up help to get the tastiest weed from the bottom of the pond.

Blackbird

The single person bird

Apparently, the coelebs part of the colourful chaffinch's Latin name - fringilla coelebs - means "single person". Allegedly, Carl von Linnaeus named the bird thus because in Sweden it is only the females and the young who migrate in winter. The males are left behind to contemplate their metaphorical feathery navels and not a lot else until their birds come back in the Spring.  

The elusive Jay

Jays - I have tried to get a decent photograph for months. Usually they know when they're 

being watched, even from a distance. All my previous efforts have resulted in a blurry 

white rump as they fly off. At last I got lucky.

The blue wing feathers are dramatic - although they're small, they're easy to spot 

on the ground because they're such an intense colour.