my photo

HOVERFLIES

There are about 6000 species and 200 genera in the family.

I get to see many varieties in my own garden, including this rather impressive one, which I believe to be Volucella zonaria!

Please let me know if you know otherwise?

my photo

HOVERFLY

A Hoverfly supplementing its diet with fennel nectar, and aiding pollination too.

A Hoverfly will lay its eggs where aphids have become established. The eggs hatch into larvae, which in turn eat the aphids.

To look upon as a garden friend.
u

my photos

DEAD WOOD

Wood piles around the garden are a perfect home for hibernating frogs, toads and newts, as well as insects like woodlice. I do wonder which insect may take up residence in the hollow stems of grass.



Areas of the garden are given up to ivy! Our garden is like a bowl, with banking all around. Although it could be said the ivy has somewhat taken over in parts, it does hold the bank together, and it encourages lots of wildlife too.



I leave an old branch or two amidst the foliage, they make a really good perch for robins, wrens and blackbirds.



This is a tree stump, and where it is slowly rotting down, great crevices have appeared, a perfect place for the stag beetle to lay its eggs, and where their larvae will spend up to seven years inside. Adult stag beetles are short-lived and more often die after mating.

The stag beetle is Britain's largest native ground-dwelling beetle and generally seen in Southern England. I have been lucky enough to spot them in my garden, and last year I saw a large one in flight.

These insects are in decline, click here to see how you can encourage them into your garden.

my photo

GREENBOTTLE

Some of us will choose a plant for its beautiful form, colour or texture and some of us will choose a plant for its scent. In my garden I love Eryngium, the sea holly, which I would mark 10 out of 10 for form, colour and texture, but would mark 0 out of 10 for its scent. It doesn't smell at all pleasant.

I wasn't surprised to see this greenbottle actually looking quite beautiful, on one of my plants the other day. Found in all kinds of habitats they are attracted, not only to flowers, but dung and carrion. Need I say more!

Enlarge the photo, this greenbottle looks like he is wearing a pair of shades. Cool or what!

my photos

LAVENDER - Loyalty, Love, Devotion
AND BEES

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green;
When I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen.
Who told you that, dilly dilly, who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so.

Call up your men, dilly dilly, set them to work;
Some to the plough, dilly dilly, some to the cart;
Some to make hay, dilly dilly, some to thresh corn;
While you and I, dilly dilly, keep ourselves warm.

If I should die, dilly dilly, as well may hap;
Bury me deep, dilly dilly, under the tap;
Under the tap, dilly dilly, I'll tell you why;
That I may drink, dilly dilly, when I am dry.

Anonymous

Lavender's green, dilly dilly, Lavender's blue;
If you love me, dilly dilly, I will love you.
Let the birds sing, dilly dilly, and the lambs play;
We shall be safe, dilly dilly, Out of harm's way.

I love to dance, dilly dilly, I love to sing;
When I am queen, dilly dilly, you'll be my king.
Who told me so, dilly dilly, who told me so?
I told myself, dilly dilly, I told me so.

An English folk song dating back to at least 1849, and is said to be connected with the festival of Twelfth Night and the choosing of the king and the queen. I am not sure if the two additional verses above were part of the original rhyme?



In Provence in France, hives are taken to the fields of lavender in order to produce Lavender honey which is pale and gold with the flavour of the flower. The bee above hasn't had to be taken to the Lavender, it has invited itself!



I often find one of these around the garden, a bee hole. A home for ground nesting bees, usually in a dry and undisturbed part of the garden.

my photo

NATIONAL INSECT WEEK

This week is National Insect Week here in the UK, it runs from the 23rd to the 29th June. If you click on the photo above you can just about see the butt end of a lovely bee checking out the nectar in one of my foxgloves!

Honeybees in Britain are in decline. It is estimated that in 10 years time, if nothing is done to protect them, the honeybee will disappear from Britain by 2018, see Eco Home & Garden. No bees, no food on our plates as bees don't just make honey they pollinate more than 90 of the flowering crops we rely on for food.

Albert Einstein predicted that if something eliminated bees from our planet, mankind would soon perish.

Here is a list for plants for bees. I am sure lots of you have many of them already?

Don't forget, especially this week is - bee kind to bees week!

This post is dedicated to Life in Red Shoes. You guessed it, I have been out in the garden with my camera! Also to say to Lavinia Ladyslipper at The Birdbath Chronicles, I am still here!

my photo

INSECT HOUSE

This is a photo which I took on our visit to Durrell formerly Jersey Zoo back in September 2007, I believe it to be an insect house?

An insect house is a great addition to any garden, maybe on a smaller scale than the one above, as they provide shelter for many insects which include non-aggressive mason and leafcutter bees who are known to help with pollination around the garden and are also thought to help increase fruit yield? Also an ideal place for ladybirds and lacewings to overwinter too.

I haven't got one yet, but hope to get one up this year.