More bugs and flowers in May

I'm trying to get my May photos posted before June arrives! Having looked at the weather forecast, I'm freaking out seeing temps over 30c and wall to wall sunshine from Thursday onwards, as we haven't had that much rain in May, so the garden will shrivel up with those kind of temps (and so will I). Well at least the water butts are all full, including my 4000 litre ex septic tank reservoir.

For now though, looking back over the end of May, and some of my bug finds. It helps me now that the vegetation has grown, so insects are often higher up and easier to photograph, although I'm finding that I'm getting more agile and bendy and can sometimes actually bend over and pick things up off the floor, and can stroke the cats now, instead of just the tips of their tails!

Absolutely tiny Misumena vatia crab spider on an Ox-eye Daisy.

Strangely this last week I've seen very few butterflies, only a couple of Small Whites, and the usual Speckled Woods in my little woodland area. And that's when it's been sunny! Very odd. But this one was seen one evening earlier in the month but I forgot to put it on my last blog post.

Settling down for the night, Small Heath
(Coenonympha pamphilus) butterfly on Irises.

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) butterfly.

Drinker Moth caterpillar (Euthrix potatoria).

A very handsome Longhorn Beetle.

Agapanthia sp., probably A. cardui.

One of the first Blackberry flowers blooming, with a solitary bee.
I hadn't noticed the little spider there though! Possibly a crab spider?
The bee survived. :-)

Tadpoles again, there are thousands of them!
This time I used a polarising filter to cut the glare.

A newish shrub, Physocarpus diabolo. Top it is attracting a small solitary bee,
and bottom left if you can open this full screen you'll see a miniscule spider!

Physocarpus diabolo. I'm really pleased as last year it only had
about four flowers, and this year it is loaded!

Happy to see the return of Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) at the base
of my lime green smokebush! It seemed to disappear years ago
after several very dry springs, but this year it's back.

Golden leafed Weigela, on the right attracting a Carder Bee.

Pretty variegated Weigela, name unknown as it
came as a cutting from a friend's garden.

Spirea 'Goldflame' in bud.

A couple of shade lovers in the veg patch under the greengage tree:
Hedge Woundwort on the left and Foxglove on the right.

Peonies are just starting to flower, which usually means rain,
as these blooms are so big and heavy that the stems can
barely support them even when they are dry.
We usually cut the bigger ones and bring them inside.

 I think this is a bunch of newly fledged Great Tits (Parus major)!
They are so cute.

That's nearly it for May photos. There is plenty going on in the garden; the Blue Tits in the nest box must have fledged but they haven't been visiting the feeders with mum, but I've heard them in the trees so I guess they are getting a lesson in searching for green caterpillars, which is mostly what they are fed when in the nest. I'm trying to really enjoy the birdsong and dawn chorus (even whilst I'm cursing the blackbird for singing at 5am) because I know by the end of June it will go rather quiet on that front.

There are a number of tiny Mullein Moth caterpillars on the Great Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) in the Pollinator Meadow. Really the Pollinator Meadow should be renamed the Bug Bar, as it's as much about native host plants now as a nectar and pollen bar! There's even grass and nettles in it which both support many species of butterfly and moth. It's actually very liberating having an area of the garden where I don't have to worry about weeds in amongst my flowers! :-)

Mullein Moth (Cucullia verbasci) caterpillar early instar.

As for how I am doing now, I'm tired, very tired. Have just finished round 5 of my chemo, so next time I'll be halfway through! The butt area pain is greatly diminishing which is a relief, although it may well come back as I know only too well. For now, I'll just enjoy it while it lasts.