Things with Wings ...

Aeroplanes
Last Sunday we visited Farnborough Airshow 2010. The airshow is held bi-annually and we go each time. I love the noisy jets! And of course The Red Arrows.

Two oldies! My husband and the only remaining flying Vulcan.

One of The Red Devils. The full-sized show car model of The Bloodhound.

Butterflies

This week it has been the Big Butterfly Count in the UK. So far I have completed three counts in my garden and have seen the following butterflies:-

Holly Blue

Meadow Brown

Speckled Wood

Gatekeeper

Comma

Brimstone

Large White

Small White

Top Left - Male Holly Blue : : Top Right - Speckled Wood

Bottom Left - Meadow Brown :: Top Right - Small White

Unfortunately so far in my counts the Red Admirals and Peacock butterflies, that are usually in the garden, haven't put in an appearance and there have been too many Large and Small Whites!

Top Left - Gatekeeper :: Top Right - Red Admiral

Bottom Left - Comma :: Bottom Right - Underside of Male Holly Blue

Insects
The July garden is buzzing with the sound of hoverflies and bees. Some of which can be seen in my July garden mosaic. A recent report suggests that British bees are on the increase again, not that I noticed a lack of them in my garden as it is always full of bees and other pollinating insects.

My garden is now in its second flush of flowers, so many that it was a job to choose which ones to photograph for the mosaic! The three buddleias have put on a show and lived up to the name of Butterfly Bush.
My wisteria is flowering for the second time this year and seems to be lasting longer than usual. We have had a good mix of sunshine and rain this month, which has suited the garden very well. The lawn has even recovered from the dry spell in June and is green once again.

As you may have noticed, I have been playing with my blog design and have added some new pages. On the "Birds & Bees" page you can see photos of the creatures that I find in my garden. I love nature and enjoy identifying the different insects that I see. The "Arts & Crafts" page is for all my crafting, a reference page if I can't remember how I made something! "In the Garden" page is where I plan to also put the mosaics. On "My Recipes" blog I have also added a couple of pages. "Celebration Cakes" will feature all of the cakes that I decorate and "In My Kitchen" is an eclectic selection of photos taken in that room. I hope you like the new design. Best wishes, Pj x