Stick out your tongue

Yesterday I visited St Margaret's Farm, Napchester, to get a pot of honey, which I use in my bread-making. Janet told be that there had been a Humming-bird Hawk-moth around and right on cue it paid a visit.

Seen from this angle the amazing length of the proboscis is apparent. When I got home Pam and I watched one briefly nectaring on Red Valerian in the garden. If the weather maintains through the summer I'm sure we'll have a good number around, and plenty of reports of Hummingbirds in the newspapers.

Kinky Damsel

Phew! Day two of the Garden Safari is over. Another great day for weather and a good number of people visiting the garden. I was very pleased that so many people were interested in the moths, with of course to odd squeamish lady who is terrified of anything that flies. I do understand that the Privet Hawk-moth on show could be a bit intimidating if it was flying round your head, but o be scared of a Heart and Dart of a Brimstone moth is something I find difficult understand. I do hope that the children don't grow up with the same phobias. A number of people came by who'd visited us at the last Safari two years ago, and it is great to see children who have maintained their interest in wildlife. One young lad from Deal was particularly interested in the moths, and moth traps, as were his Mum and Dad, and it seems that "Dad" was prepared to make him a trap and share the interest. It's a great hobby to get into and an appreciation of the world outside of computer games is surely what modern children need.

Sitting near the front garden pond allowed me, in quiet moments, to watch the comings and goings there. Masses of Damselflies have emerged in the last few days and all the blue ones I saw were Azure Blues. We do get Common Blues as well but I failed to find any today.

I didn't search very thoroughly but I only found one exvuvia (the skin left when the nymph sheds it's last skin to become a Damsel). I haven't checked out the species yet, there is a key in John and Gill Brook's fabulous book on Kent Dragonflies.

The commonest Damselfly around the ponds today was the Blue-tailed Damselfly. They everywhere, I even found one in Pam's greenhouse.

This strange looking kinky Damsel did have me a bit puzzled, but I think it is a teneral (recently emerged) Azure Blue Damselfly.

The pond surface is now the home to dozens of Pond Skaters, all waiting for the vibrations through the water that let then know that their next victim has landed on the water.

Various flies can bee seen on the Water-lily leaves and the pond skater often come to the rest on the pads.

I was quite taken with this Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) as it hovered inside the flower of a Water Lily.

Day One of the Garden Safari Weekend

The Garden Safari weekend has arrived in St Margaret's and once again the weather has blessed Linda Winter's organising. Does she some influence somewhere?

After a difficult year in the garden, (feel like a farmer moaning about the weather) with the extremely cold winter, followed by a drought, along with the necessity of the Tree House removal, we finally got the garden in a reasonably presentable shape. With the Tree House gone the garden seems bigger to me, but that has it's own problem's with getting the overall balance right. Pam's worked very hard over the last few weeks and with the addition of some new features, including some of here own sculptures as well as various decorative stepping stones and a stone statue of Neptune (or Poseidon).

Even though the grass (what grass!) has suffered badly on the paths through the trees, the effect of the woodland glade, on the path through the arches, works even better this year, as the shrubs and bushes have reached a greater maturity.

The first rose covered arch, now supplemented by a second archway, plus a bit of improvisation, is now more of a Rose Tunnel, prepared to duck if you are over 6 ft 2 ins.

Pam's sculpture of the "world in their hands" finds her at a new level of philosophical art with the precarious position of our world, or it was a nice idea for an interesting sculpture. It all depends if you listen to the nonsense that art critics talk on the various cultural programmes in the media!

The little stream, with pools for the birds to bath in, has been a major feature of the garden this year, with so little water about until a few weeks ago. We've got two ponds in the garden, and another could smaller drinking pools, as well as several bird baths, and all have been well used during the drought.

The back of the house has a very "cottagey" feel with all the pots. I say the back of the house, but it has really become the main entrance, with only the postman and salesmen regularly using the front door. Let's hope the weather holds out for tomorrow. All the photos today are Pam's. I spent most of my time greeting people at the entrance and then, hopefully entertaining them with a little exhibit of some of the moths and wildlife of the garden.