Mustard Garlic and Orange Tip Butterfly

This little butterfly has the most beautiful underwings, like someone in a plain dress with exquisite petticoats. I looked up the colouring, and found out that this is a female orange tip – which doesn’t have an orange tip, apparently. By total chance, a friend called in today and was talking (out of the blue) about consulting a gardener about a plant in her garden that she thought was a weed ; and she was told that orange tips lay their eggs on the underleaf of this plant. When I described it we agreed it must be mustard garlic that was growing in her garden. So in one day I have found out the name of a plant, identified a butterfly, and been told something about its life cycle.

Blossom Reflected

 

Green 2

Thistledown Clock

 

Patch of Sunlight 1

 

Last time I went out with my camera it was snowing, could see this by looking back at the card… The Midnight Hare has taken up my energy, but now it is at the printers, I can do no more. Yesterday I started taking photographs, and right away small images tugged at my mind. It was mostly the May sunlight on grass beside the pathway down to the River Leet, and on the water itself.

Chestnut Leaves

Dandelion Clock 2

Blackbird on a Brick

Little Nest

Out walking for a couple of days I saw this upside down on the pavement, couldn’t work out what it was, looked like some demented piece of sowing, but when today I picked it up and turned it over, I realised it was a little nest, all intertwined with bits of coloured thread and twigs and leaves.  No shells on the ground, just this pretty object, made with such clever use of what was to hand – what was to beak, rather.

Odd Flower – Anyone Recognise This?

This strange plant suddenly appeared in the shrubbery. It comes straight out of the ground, long stem, no foliage at all, about three foot tall; and we don’t have a clue what it is. Can anyone enlighten us?