Damselflies by the river
There were certainly plenty of Damselflies down by the river, as well as the Dragonflies, including this courting couple.
Insects
Scarlet Dragonfly
This one is definitely a Scarlet Dragonfly, Crocothemis erythraea, also known as the Scarlet Darter. The male is bright red, the female and youngsters are yellowy-brown in colour, making this one a male. Order: Odonata Suborder: Epiprocta Infraorder: Anisoptera Family: Libellulidae Genus: Crocothemis Species: Crocothemis erythraea
Calopteryx
This is a damselfly in the genus Calopteryx, part of the Calopterygidae family, and as the female of the species has a lighter, more brown colouring, Sherlock deduces that this particular one is a male. There were a few of these down ...
Dragonfly in flight
Today was dragonfly day and I was quite pleased with this shot of one of them in flight. There was also a huge blue dragonfly constantly whizzing up and down the river but I couldn't get a picture of him ...
Arctiid moth
When this critter was flying around it looked as though it was just plain white, but when it stopped on a flower it turned out to be extremely colourful. It took ages to identify but I am fairly certain it is ...
A little walk beside a field in Sonning
I met a lady the other day who told me about a new walk where there are often lots of butterflies. Although it is still quite early for some butterflies, I thought I would check it out. It is alongside ...
Another visit to Bix
We like going to Bix as it is very quiet and peaceful and there are always lots of birds. The smaller ones are usually singing loudly in the hedgerows and there is no other noise to disturb them. This time, ...
A fine specimen
This rather fine, and huge specimen suddenly flew up in front of me and then, fortunately, settled on a fence post to have his picture taken.
A veritable swarm
Carpenter Bees, Xylocopa violacea, tend to be solitary critters, so I was a little surprised to see a veritable swarm (half a dozen) of these huge, fearsome beasts buzzing around. There are some 500 species of Carpenter Bees and they are ...
Birds at home
Since I haven't been out as much in the bad weather, I have spent a bit more time watching the birds in the garden. These are a few photos I have taken over the last couple of days. There is ...
Mariposario in Benalmádena
I went on a little road trip yesterday to the Mariposario - Butterfly Park - in Benalmádena Pueblo and all I can say is...WOW. Fantastic place. It is not a huge park but there are around 1,500 butterflies flying around at ...
Insects
I have developed a growing fascination for insects! What amazes me is how a tiny little thing you mainly think of as annoying - not least because it might be about to bite you - can look so different when ...
Birds and butterflies
A few pictures from a little wander on Tuesday afternoon. Still experiencing gusting winds at the moment, very strong at times, but at least it is dry and warm, so can't complain too much really. Lots of Goldfinch about. There was a ...
