A Pinch
and a Punch for the First of the Month
Now that it is October it can no longer be denied that Autumn
is well under way and Winter will soon be upon us. October is often a very
pleasant month but today is wet and grey.
Frankie and his mother, Susannah, are on holiday, narrowly
avoiding Hurricane Matthew.
A blurry photo taken with my phone of a fast-moving Frankie
'Follow Mummy, Frankie.'
You're never too young to learn the rules of queueing.
Susannah was anticipating a twelve-hour flight from
Gatwick with some trepidation but her fears were unfounded and Frankie behaved
impeccably. There is still the return journey, of course . . .
The birds have not returned to the garden, sadly. Maybe when
it is cold and wet and the cats don’t wish to go out they will come back to
feed.
Life continues on a smaller scale.
This little creature is a Hairy Shield bug, (Dolycoris baccarum) so called because
it is covered in short hairs. It is about 11mm long and widespread, though
becoming rarer in the north of the country.
There have been many Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta) in the garden. This one, appropriately, is
feeding on a buddleja, a plant often referred to as the butterfly bush.
Meanwhile, the cats continue to enjoy and explore the garden.
Isambard
Jellicoe
Herschel
Lenny
Solomon
They go out first thing in the morning and often stay out until dusk or even,
in the case of Susannah’s cats, dark!
There have been no more squirrel casualties though the
dragonflies, mainly Southern Hawkers, (Aeshna
cyanea) do not learn from experience.
Southern Hawker female laying eggs
They are large, busy predators,
hunting insects and catching them mid-air. They can hover and also fly
backwards but they cannot escape the claws of cats!
One benefit of the shortening and cooling days is the excuse
to have a fire. Today is cold, tomorrow may be warm – the weather is
capricious.
I am linking with Eileen's 'Saturday Critters' and Misty's 'Camera-Critters'
