Bryonia dioica – I spotted the greenish-white blooms of this wild flower as I approached a hedgerow dividing two fields, one of my favourite places to visit. Only a couple of blooms had been teased out by the spring sunshine, but there was plenty of fresh buds, and creeping tendrils were pushing their way through… Read More White Bryony
Viola arvensis – It’s almost euphoric when you are ambling through an expansive field and suddenly spot one of these tiny beauties rising amidst the sea of grasses. Double-click image to enlarge. © Peter Hillman ♦ 22nd April 2020 ♦ Local field, Staffordshire ♦ Nikon D7200
By my plant pot full of moss I have a strip of bark leaning against some heather. Occasionally I will lift it to see what is sheltering in the dark and damp place it helps create there. Clinging to the underneath of the bark I found a 5-7mm (around 1/4 inch) Discus Snail (Discus rotundatus).… Read More Under A Strip of Bark
This is but a small plant pot, and I know you may think this odd, but I just grow a clump of moss in it all year round and nothing more. It appears to attract some varied wildlife (especially if you lift it up and look underneath it) and this Philodromus sp. crab spider was… Read More That Plant Pot Again
I was photographing another species of spider on a plant pot (a lot seems to happen on this plant pot for some reason?) and this one came along. I think it is a young Clubiona sp. and it was so small it was getting lost amongst the moss leaves. The darn thing would not keep… Read More Moss Becomes A Jungle
This is the Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea), which I discovered in my garden the other day. They are good at devouring greenfly, so can be one of the gardener’s best buddies. It belongs to the order mentioned in the title ‘Neuroptera’ – which contains the ‘net-winged insects’ such as lacewings, antlions and mantidflies. One… Read More Neuroptera
x3 images. I found this little critter lounging on the edge of a plant pot. Double click if you wanna get closer… Rear garden. October 2019 © Pete Hillman.
Philodromus sp. Rear garden. September 2019 © Pete Hillman.
Now … where did I put that cheese? Ah-ha … I have sniffed it and now I spy it! Yum-yum in my tum … … but I think I prefer the seed the feathered things drop from above …. squeak! Here I have tried to capture a few moments in the life of a House… Read More Something Cheesy
Of x2 images. Yep, it is that time of the year you will find these large flies attracted to the house lights, and before you know it you will have these gangly flying insects bouncing manically off your kitchen or bathroom ceilings and walls as you either try to swat them or catch them. I… Read More Arrival of The Daddy Longlegs
This is a new species for me in the garden. It is the Pine Ladybird (Exochomus quadripustulatus). It is quite small between 3 to 4mm long. It has a distinct rim around the base of the wingcases. Although it is mainly found where Pine grows, it also likes Hawthorn which I happen to have in… Read More A Little Red On Black
Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) September 2019 © Pete Hillman.
There was a bunch of these tiny critters hanging around on a wall out the front. September 2019 © Pete Hillman.
I discovered this Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) on my Water Mint this morning. Feel free to click the image to enlarge and click again to get even closer … September 2019 © Pete Hillman.
I love seeing these Comma (Polygonia c-album) butterflies in the garden, and occasionally they briefly settle for a moment or two. September 2019 © Pete Hillman.
It appears it has been quite a good year here for butterflies, which is really good news. This Large White (Pieris brassicae) made a fleeting visit to my garden before fluttering off over the fence to elsewhere. These ‘Whites’ can be quite a challenge to photograph, especially in bright sunshine. Auto camera setting never seem… Read More Black & White
This Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax) was quite comical to observe, because it really was quite a shy fly. It was basking on a leaf near my pond, and as I neared it instead of flying off like they do most of the time it crawled behind the leaf and peered out at me. When I… Read More Playing Hide & Seek
This true bug is called Rhopalus subrufus, and a new species for me in the garden. It appeared to be attracted to my Water Mint. Looking closer it is quite a hairy species, and one of only four of this genus found in the UK. September 2019 © Pete Hillman.
Of 2 images. I was sitting in my living room looking out the window when I caught a glimpse of this butterfly as it searched and settled for some shelter between rain showers. © Pete Hillman August 2019.
Also called the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), this was another first for me. There were many of these little birds on the seashore bulldozing the seaweed out of their way with their heads in search of invertebrates hiding underneath it. Feel free to click the images to enlarge and click again to get even closer… Read More Turnstone
When the tide goes out to reveal shallow pools and masses of clumped seaweed it is time for the waders to come and feed. This Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) does an odd little dance to agitate the water to stir up small fish and invertebrates on which it feeds. Feel free to click the images… Read More When The Tide Goes Out
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), local field. July 2019 © Pete Hillman.
Feel free to click the images to enlarge and click again to get even closer … Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) early instar. Rear garden. © Pete Hillman August 2019.
Common Mussel (Mytilus edulis) Exmouth, Devon. August 2019 © Pete Hillman.
I have noticed how big the young frogs are now growing in the garden pond. I spied four of them amongst the Water Mint and pond weed poking their heads out the water. Feel free to click the images to enlarge and click again to get even closer … © Pete Hillman August 2019
Feel free to click the image to enlarge and click again to get even closer … Various seaweeds, August 2019, Exmouth, Devon, England. © Pete Hillman.
Chequered Carpet Shell (Ruditapes decussatus), August 2019, Exmouth, Devon, England. © Pete Hillman.
Another one from the pond found under a piece of bark. July 2019, rear garden, South Staffordshire, England. © Pete Hillman.
… not really … just the Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) Yep … if you really, really wanna … feel free to click on the image to enlarge and click again to get even … (deep scary voice here) … closer … July 2019, rear garden, South Staffordshire, England. © Pete Hillman.
I initially found this gloriously decorated beetle called the Common Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides) on my kitchen windowcill. You may notice it has a couple of passengers hitching a ride on its pronotum. These are Poecilochirus mites which don’t actually harm the beetle, but grab a ride to the next burial site. These beetles have… Read More Burying The Dead
July 2019, rear garden, South Staffordshire, England. © Pete Hillman.
2 photos in this post …. feel free to click to enlarge and click again to get even closer on the images … This is the very varied Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius) clinging nicely to my shed wall. July 2019, rear garden, South Staffordshire, England. © Pete Hillman.
I wondered where all my tadpoles had gone. Spotted a couple of little juvenile frogs today hiding under a piece of bark in my back yard. Below how it began life feeding on algae in the pond into the carnivorous creature above. It is one way to keep the slugs down. Nature is trully a… Read More Staying Alive
I found this little Clubiona sp. of spider under my green recycling bin hatch. Oh … do not click twice on the top full face image unless you really want this nice spider right in ‘your’ face …. July 2019, rear garden, South Staffordshire, England. © Pete Hillman.
Out in the local fields these Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) are flourishing this summer. An odd perspective, I know, but sometimes all you get is all they want to show you before they flutter 🙂 Feel free to click to enlarge and click again to get even closer on the images … July 2019, local… Read More All The Browns
These Zebra Spider (Salticus scenicus), always appear to be quite territorial, and I only ever see them around the outside of my shed and garage. And boy do these little jumping spiders jump! Feel free to click to enlarge and click again to get even closer on the images … July 2019, rear garden, South… Read More Zebra
Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola). The fields have been teeming with these lovely little ones. Many thanks to Brian from the brilliant blog ‘Butterflies To Dragsters‘ for accurately identifying this beautiful species. Feel free to click to enlarge and click again to get even closer on the images … July 2019, local field, South Staffordshire, England.… Read More A Drink Of Thistle, Thank You
Thankfully it appears to be quite a good year for these butterflies, with me spotting quite a few out in the local fields. July 2019, local field, South Staffordshire, England. © Pete Hillman.
July 2019, local field, South Staffordshire, England. © Pete Hillman.
This mighty female crab spider (Misumena vatia) grabs itself a nice bee for lunch and these three little freeloader flies want their piece of it as well. Feel free to click to enlarge and click again to get even closer … only if you really want to. July 2019, local field, South Staffordshire, England. ©… Read More The Crab, The Bee And Three Flies
