Another grey start but the sun soon burnt off the clouds and we had a spectacular day.
This helicopter buzzed the garden several times. Don’t know what he was doing, just playing around I suppose.
This is a Scottish garden, so I should acknowledge that the heathers are out. 
But they don’t ring my bells. These are much prettier, the last sweet peas of summer. 
And this looks like the last copper butterfly. He’s very much the worse for wear, with a huge chunk missing from his wings.
I saw another dragonfly! Not a good pic but he was in an awkward position. I think he’s a male common hawker. That’s two different species in the garden. Both males. I wonder where all the girls have gone.
Enjoy the magic of your Scottish garden. The peas are very sweet, a nice end to summer.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary Delle, three sunny days in a row feels like magic. It's been blissful just fluttering around from plant to plant, and stopping to bask, like a butterfly (an elderly one showing a lot of wear and tear obviously). Thanks for joining me. Yan
ReplyDeleteI think i saw your girl dragonfly in my garden yesterday. I didn't see any of them for the whole summer, so it was strange. Now, I understand... It should be one of yours...
ReplyDeleteThe sweet peas do look pretty and sweet. How do you identify a male and female dragonfly?
ReplyDeleteMaybe a gray start, but oh so beautiful. Love your dragonfly shot!
ReplyDeleteThose male dragonflies are probably wondering the same thing you did.
ReplyDeleteHi Tatyana, I'd tell my boys they need to emigrate but I don't want to lose them. Doesn't it make the garden feel special when you see one of these giant insects flying by?
ReplyDeleteAutumn Belle, I'm no expert but what I've gathered from web sites is that the boys have two little claspers at the end of their abdomens while the girls have a single oviposter. There are also pigmentation differences in some species. The common hawker girl has much more blue on her abdomen than the boy and is altogether a more glamorous individual (just like humans!).
Hallo Linda, I wish my pics could equal your beautiful shots in an artists garden. They're stunning.
Arf! Meredith. They were certainly searching for something. I've volunteered to be a dragonfly spotter so I may yet find out where the girls hang out and drop a hint to my boys.