Migrant hawker dragonfly

A common dragonfly which we might continue to see right through until November! The lovely autumn sunshine we are having now, is allowing nature to extend its season. Aberdare canal has quite a few dragonflies at the moment.

Dragonfly harmony!

Its almost autumn but these determined dragonflies have the next generation firmly on their minds. I think they are red veined darters. Beautiful to see so many dragonflies on our waterways at the moment.

Starfish supper!

Herring gulls were having a feeding fest on Rhossili beach at high tide the other day. Starfish were on the menu as well as clams and other shell fish. This starfish was swallowed whole moments after I took the photo. Gulls will eat almost anything!

Green woodpecker

I spotted this juvenile green woodpecker on a walk by the Neath canal. He popped out from behind a tree then flew off! Looking more streaky than green at the moment, but will soon grow the spectacular adult colouring. Listen out for their haunting ‘laughing’ cry in the woodlands.

Ringed plover

As lockdown eases its the first time I have managed a trip to the glorious Welsh coast. Port Eynon on the Gower is beautiful this time of year. Wild flowers and crystal clear seas, waves crashing against the rocks, sand dunes and blue skies. There were a group of these lovely ringed plovers mixed in

Harlequin

The Harlequin ladybird is common through out Britain and was introduced from Asia in 2004. It has spread rapidly and out competes our native ladybird for aphid prey. They also eat our ladybird larvae and eggs! They are very variable and can have up to 19 spots on an orange or red background. I took

Grey wagtail

That flash of yellow looping along the river is the unmistakable grey wagtail. The male in his bold summer colours is a a wonderful sight! Look out for him with the striking black bib. The female is a toned down version but never the less beautiful! At this time of year you can see fledglings

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

See how many different butterflies you can spot in your garden. I have had four recently , including this lovely small tortoiseshell. A ‘ Skipper’ also showed up this week , but didn’t settle long enough for me to get a photo.

Small white butterfly

Its great to see these beautiful pollinators in the garden. Wall flowers and herbs are excellent sources of food for many insects and it gives you a great opportunity to see them close up! This prolific wallflower or erysimum, a genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family, has flower heads for about 7 months

On Maerdy mountain

This Small Heath butterfly is easy to miss as it flitters from flower to flower and rarely goes above a meter from the ground. You can see how small it is as it almost fits into this buttercup. There are plenty around at the moment up on the mountains.