Grayling Butterfly

In the garden this morning, one of 11 species in total.

Echinops

I bought this Echinops (Globe Thistle) expecting it to be blue but as you can see it has turned out white nevertheless it’s attracting plenty of insects including this wasp like insect - it isn’t a European Wasp (to me!) but don’t know what it is so if anyone knows…….

managed to get it in flight!

Rosa Warm Welcome

A vibrant miniature climbing rose not so perfumed as Margaret Merril but just as beautiful

and two more in the garden but can’t remember their names!

Rosa Margaret Merril…

Its too  hot for birding today but perfect for the roses in our garden and this is Margaret Merril, a beautiful delicate flower with the strongest perfume I have smelt in a rose and she is thriving in a pot.

Monarch Butterfly in Kent

Butterfly enthusiasts have a look at this....


http://theshadoxhurstgarden.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/monarch-butterfly-in-ruckinge.html

The last word on Arran

 

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Great Diving Beetle larvae antics

Whilst sat next to the pond I heard a bit of a splash and could see a struggle of sorts under the pond weed so grabbed the net and managed to catch a wriggling mass of something! I quickly filled a tray with water and tipped the contents of the net in to be confronted with not a particularly nice event - a Smooth Newt was being attacked by two monsters aka Great Diving Beetle larvae. To be fair a friend had warned us "get the Great Diving Beetles out, they will devour your newts" anyway I took the newt out of the tray hoping to save it but alas it was no more! Now usually we let nature take its course but having cherished our newts since February there was no way these monsters were going back in so a little relocation has taken place.

 

 

 

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Common birds on Arran

Black Guillemot

Red Breasted Mergansers

Hooded Crow

 

 

 

 

 

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Grey Heron

This Grey Heron was one of four on Brodick golf course, must be the most tame heron ever.

 

 

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Sannox Glen - an assortment of flying things and bog plants!

A beautiful walk up the Glen produced lots of dragonflies along the river .....

Four Spotted Chaser

Golden Ringed Dragonfly

Dark Green Frittilary

Egg laying Golden Ringed Dragonfly

Tiger Beetle

Magpie Moth

Bog Asphodel

Sundew

Speckled Wood

This is an interesting one, at first I thought it was a Tree Bumblebee but then noticed it was really a fly! Would love to know if anybody knows its true identity.

 

 

 

 

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Golden Eagle Eyrie

Apologies for poor quality but all the videos and photos of the Golden Eagles were take at a distance of at least 1 mile through a telescope on 50X at the top of a windy hill on the opposite side of the valley!
We spotted a pair of Golden Eagles soaring on Arran within an hour of landing and then couldn’t believe it when we spotted two nearly fledged juveniles.