More From Brian's Garden

Brian has been busy photographing his garden wildlife. A couple of days ago, he sent this message:- 

"The frogs all arrived this morning and have been serenading me all day as I worked in the garden. The Small tortoiseshell arrived this morning it is the first one I've seen this year. It was busy nectaring on the Stachyurus praecox which is spectacular at the moment."

Here are his delightful photos:-

Common Frog (Rana temporaria) - Blackfordby garden

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) - Blackfordby garden

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) (male) - Blackfordby garden

The male House Sparrow differs greatly in appearance from the female, which is somewhat more drab. The male has a black 'bib', pale unmarked cheek, and grey top to the head.

The next day, Brian photographed another visitor to the Stachyurus. I think this bee is a Buff-tailed Bumblebee, but please let me know if I'm wrong, and I will correct this entry.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) - Blackfordby garden

Please keep the photos an information coming, folks. We have the opportunity to become garden naturalists and contribute to citizen science - hopefully more about this in a forthcoming blog post

Take great care, and stay safe and well  - - - Richard P.