Green Dock Beetle

 

This is a little Green Dock Beetle. I have featured this type of beetle on my blog before. I love their colour and the fact they are iridescent! 

Standing Tall

 

Can you spot the squirrel in this photo? He is standing tall. 

Up High

 

I like this tree, I like the crow on it and I like the sky! 

Glistening Inkcap

 

This mushroom is called Glistening Inkcap. It looks like a few animals from the forest have been eating it!

Snowy Photos

 

I took these earlier in the year. Snow on Evergreens. So far it has snowed one day in November and been frosty a few days at the start of December and the last few weeks it has been raining and windy, but mild. The weather people, who I never trust because they never seem to get it right in Scotland, are saying we will get a snowy Christmas. We shall see!

Another Interesting Tree

 

I saw this tree when I was at the Zoo a while back. I really liked the roots and the texture of it.

Hawthorn Fly

 

This is a Hawthorn Fly. It is very black and hairy. When they are flying, their little legs dangle down and it is quite funny to watch them!

Turkey Tail Tree

 

This is Turkey Tail growing on a tree. I always enjoyed seeing it on my walks but sadly someone knocked it down a few years ago.

RIP to Zakir Hussain who died today. I am a fan of Shakti, Remember Shakti and Tabla Beat Science. He was such a talent.

A Frog and A Penguin

 

These were taken in April this year. First up we have the Blue Poison Dart Frog. It is a lovely creature but I am of the opinion the more colourful the frog the quicker you run! Thankfully here in Scotland we don't have any nasty native frogs! And second is a penguin swimming, he has a look about him I think.

Sea Life Visit in March 2023

Another Sea Life Loch Lomond Visit from 2023.

First up is a Lobster. I was very happy how this turned out as it was taken through glass that was spherical. Second up is a lovely Seahorse. And finally we have April the Olive Ridley Turtle. You can read her story here: April's Story. She has various problems caused by us. It breaks my heart, but she is safe and gets lots of attention at the Sea Life

Nutty

 

This is a Nuthatch. It was happy to take the seeds I put down. I think they are such beautiful birds and they have lovely colours and their little black eyemask is cool too.

Brimstone Moth

 

This is a Brimstone Moth. It was in my garden a few years ago and I got these photos of it. Got a lot of photos to get through!

Fast Asleep

 

Another photo from Edinburgh Zoo. This time a Koala who is fast asleep! 

Asian Bleeding Heart

 

This is the Asian Bleeding Heart Flower. I had never seen it before and thought it looked pretty.

Maggie

 

This is Maggie. She is a magpie that visited our garden a few months ago. She seemed to be struggling so we gave her food and water. After a few hours she was able to fly and went on her way. She was hiding under the table in the garden so I got this photo of her.

Feeding Time

 

On one of my many visits to Edinburgh Zoo, I was lucky enough to catch feeding time for the sloths. It was an amazing experience to watch. Such beautiful creatures.

A Wonderful Walk

 

This is a path that I walk often. I love it. With all the trees and grass, nature thrives during summer months. I got this photo on a rare day when it wasn't raining!

Ladybird Larva

 

I took this during the summer. I was excited to see it, I had never seen such a thing before! Despite seeing many, many ladybirds in my time, I'd never seen a ladybird larva until I took this photo! It is always exciting to find something new.

The Marx Brothers

 

It's the 3 Marx Brothers! Groucho, Harpo and Chico. These ducks could easily do the famous mirror scene from Duck Soup haha! 

An Interesting Jackdaw

 

This is a rather interesting Jackdaw. I have never seen a black and white one before. At first I thought it was a Hooded Crow, they are black and white and look a bit different to this fellow!

Mushroom Stairs

 

I thought these mushrooms looks like a set of stairs! I wonder where they lead to?

Small Tortoiseshell Caterpillar

 

This is a Small Tortoiseshell Caterpillar. I love watching caterpillars wriggling about.

Waspy

 

Not posted a wasp in a wee while. Many people don't like wasps and see them as pests, but they are very important little things. Along with being natural pesticides they are also pollinators too. So the next time you see a wasp, thank it for all its hard work and admire its beauty!

Green Veined White Butterfly

 

This is a Green Veined White Butterfly. I took this photo a few years ago. I saw a few this year but no as many as previous years.

Mushroom

 

I am not exactly sure what type of mushroom this is and my research didn't yield a definitive answer. Does anyone know? I think it looks good.

Nicely Lined Up

 

These 4 coots are nicely lined up! 3 looking one way and the other being a rebel! These coots are still fairly young at this point but it won't be too long before they leave the parents.

Casting A Shadow

 

It's a little weevil with a rather cool shadow!

Garden Spider

 

This is a garden spider. It was sitting outside the window. It is quite a big spider! I love the colours and patterns.

A Happy Girl

 

This female mallard looks so happy. I always think ducks look happy anyway. I really like them, they are wonderful creatures :-D

Cereal Leaf Beetle

I took this in May and it was a new bug to me.

From my reseasrch, I think this is a Cereal Leaf Beetle. I had never seen it before I took this photo. I enjoy seeing new bugs and insects. 

The October Moon

More Moon photos, this time from mid October.

 

I really liked this sky and the colours and the Moon.

A New Friend

 

How cute is this little fellow? I like the pattern on the shell and the skin too and he is looking cute. I like saving snails from the main paths. Sadly a lot of people stand on them and the cyclists tend to run them over. I pick them up and place them in the grass or bushes. I don't take photos of all the ones I save but this little guy was special.

Three Babies

 

I took this a few years back. Three baby coots with one of the parents. I always try to feed them all when they appear in the early summer months. If I am there every day, they normally get used to me after 2 weeks and come closer. And coming closer means much better photos! I think the little one in the centre is so very cute and looks happy!

Cheeky Chap

 

This is one of my cats. His name is Jethro. I took this photo at the start of the year before he was diagnosed with Kidney Disease. He is doing well at the moment and plays with the kitten Stitch a lot. I really like this photo and he looks like he is sticking his tongue out and being cheeky! Bengal cats are amazing and wonderful and intelligent. He is a very chatty guy and talks so much, which I love. I always talk to my cats, sometimes in English and sometimes I meow at them. Apart from Stitch, they all talk to me. Stitch is a very quiet boy and I am not used to that. I do think it is important to talk to animals and I always talk to the birds when I feel them! I also talk to all the bugs and insects I take photos of!

A Rebel Perhaps?

 

I am not sure if the solo crow is a rebel or the odd one out or shy. The rest are enjoying the seeds I put down. I love putting down seeds for the crows and seeing them all appear. I find it very comforting and theraputic watching crows.

Hiding

 

This little fellow is hiding, not sure what from. I gave him seeds and he appeared shortly after. He was a friendly chap.

Cranefly

 

This is a little Cranefly. He is on one of the wooden posts in my garden. He appears to be missing a leg poor soul. 

Trip To London In May 2023

Been meaning to post these for a while now! We went to London in May 2023 to see Sparks. I absolutely love Sparks and had seen them a few times proir to this. Here are a few photos from that trip.

 

The gig was at the famous Royal Albert Hall, as you can see from the photo it was very busy! It was a great gig and considering how old both Ron and Russell are, both were amazing. Russell was jumping and dancing about the stage like a 30 year old! I think they are still very talented and still manage to produce clever material. Do any of you like Sparks? What is your favourite era or album? Have you seen them live?