Autumn Jewels

Late September Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly (garden)

It is worth planting late-flowering plants
just to see butterflies at the end of the summer 

Bees in Formation

These bees or hover flies spent some time hovering like this, flying away
and re-grouping again.  I've no idea why.

Bumble Bee on Hardy Plumbago

Catmint isn't only good for bees!!

Red Admiral on Phlox

Autumn Butterflies: Small Copper

Mallow

I planted a tiny bit of this lovely pale pink mallow on the meadow last year
and I'm really pleased to see it flourishing this year.

Birds Foot Trefoil

Vipers Bugloss

Vipers Bugloss, fantastic for insects

Six-Spot Burnet

Six-Spot Burnet

This lovely moth seems to like it here. I saw three at once earlier.
It especially likes the Vipers Bugloss.

Good for Butterflies

I am watching the Hampton Court show programme and the feature on butterflies has mentioned a number of plants that are great habitat for butterflies and which are growing on the meadow. So our meadow is helping. Common blues and painted ladies, and lots of other species love the plants we have, like birds foot trefoil, nettles, thistles, and the little buddleia that has self seeded at the edge of the meadow.

Bees for Rebecca

I took this photo for Rebecca who keeps bees in London.
I think it's a honey bee and you can see the tiny dots of pollen sticking to it.

Campion

This is starting to flower more now it's a bit warmer and sunnier

Vipers Bugloss

Excitingly, as well as the large Bugloss I've been watching since last year,
this little one sprang up all by itself.

Meadow Brown Butterfly

At last, butterflies on the meadow.
These two were very peacefully sitting on the daisies.

Midsummer Flowers

I threw some Nigella seeds onto the meadow last year
and it's doing very well.

Midsummer Flowers

The Vipers Bugloss is just coming into flower

Midsummer Flowers

The Foxgloves are looking really creamy

Midsummer Flowers

I think that as this is a grass meadow (I don't have the means to have all the top soil removed as you would for a true flower meadow), the flowers that are going to thrive are going to be more robust than things like Poppies and Cornflowers - at least until the Yellow Rattle has had more time to work.

The plant I thought was a Scabious is emerging as a magenta pink Campion.

Fuzzy Bee

I love his fuzziness, and he's all over this Giant Scabious.

Beetle

These beetles seem to love the small roses, like this Wedding Day (given to us as a wedding present by a very dear friend) and the nearby Himalayan Musk.

Butterfly

I have seen very few butterflies this summer.

In Flight

It's surprisingly hard to catch a bee in flight.
You never know what direction they will take off in.

Bees in Sunlight

Coming in to Land

Tiny Bee

You can't have too many bees

Bee Washing

It took me a while to realise that this bee contorting itself
on the stepping stone was having a thorough wash.

Common Blue damsel fly on the Meadow

White Irises (in the garden)

Bird on a Wire

Bullfinches

This lovely finch and his wife came to eat some seeds off the garden table.