A few flowers…………

Have just had a wonderful afternoon looking at wild flowers - they speak for themselves so without further ado…

Filipendula vulgaris – Dropwort

Helianthemum nummularium – Common Rock-rose

Common dodder (Cuscuta epithymum)

Plantago media – Hoary Plantain

Pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis

Fragrant Orchid Gymnadenia conopsea

Pasqueflower Pulsatilla vulgaris

Man orchid Orchis anthropophora

Knapweed Broomrape - Orobanche elatior

Bee orchids Ophrys apifera

Common Valerian Valeriana officinalis

Garden activity

Two good mammals in the garden last night with a Brown Long-eared bat chasing around our Birch Tree and whilst watching that a scarce at least these days Hedgehog came tripping past but this afternoon things quickened up again with a Hummingbird Hawkmoth zooming around the Valerian.

Pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) - North Lincolnshire

No matter what setting I put the camera on I could not get any of these Pyramidal Orchids sharp other than one taken with flash and that’s burnt out!

COMMON BROOMRAPE - Orobanche minor

Always good to see these parasitizing plants, with Clover being the host at this site in N Lincs.

Melodious Warbler

Had a new British tick today in the form of a Melodious Warbler a mile or so out of Retford so not far and only just outside of lincs - it showed well for all of 30 seconds and with lots of birders pushing in front of you no photos, a good twitch all the same.

Tree bumblebee, Bombus hypnorum

Frequenting the Bistort this Tree Bumblebee is a welcome visitor to the garden and indeed was only seen in the UK from 2001.

Garden update

Had the biggest surprise this morning when a stunning male Crossbill flew round the pond and settled to drink, unfortunately as I am still plagued with sciatica I couldn't get up quick enough to reach the camera and it flew into the Yew tree at the end of the garden.  On the mole front yes it is still here digging ever closer to the pond and evading the humane trap - we think it maybe too big to enter the trap as it constantly burrows around it never through it!

On a sad note for the second year running the Spotted Flycatchers in the Park have had their nest taken out of the box - chief suspect has to be Grey Squirrel, it is such a shame I just hope they can rebuild in time elsewhere in the park.

Our garden - for Sian..

A rather large post dedicated entirely to Sian who is a little under the weather at the moment so hurry up and get better quickly - all images taken in the garden this afternoon.