Young frog which has got into the habit of resting on the rim of a bird bath in warm weather, It hasn’t been seen actually in the water.
Garden poppy: flower and seed-case
Flowers of a garden poppy, the petals looking very papery.
Seed case from the same plant, already beginning to ripen.
Bolete mushroom (species unknown)
The first mushrooms I noticed once the rains finally came to break this year’s long dry spring. They are boletes, but I don’t know which species.
Searching for food, bare ground
One of the West Park magpies, on what seemed to be a thankless task, looking for something to eat on a patch of dry ground.
Harlequin ladybirds, larvae and pupae
Harlequin ladybird larvae (juvenile stage) and pupae (undeergoing metamorphosis).
Harlequins originate in the far east of Asia. They were deliberately introduced into America to control aphids. Instead they rapidly became worse pests themselves.
They were also brought to Europe, including Britain, by human activity, not deliberately this time.
First recorded in Britain in 2005. When I first started this blog, in 2009, one of the conservation bodies had a system in place to report all sightings of these beetles, to aid efforts to control them.
It didn’t work. In my haphazard sightings this year, harlequins have outnumbered all native ladybirds several times over.
Teazles, almost flowering
Teazles flourishing by the pool at Compton Park. These pictures taken just before the plants began to flower.
Mother duck and ducklings, Birmingham Canal, near Lock 17
Mallard and her three ducklings by the shore of the Birmingham Canal near Lock 17 (under the shadow of the Stafford Road railway viaduct).
About to spring
One of the West Park squirrels, looking like its poised, about to spring.
Spear thistle, flower and buds
Spear thistles, most of the flower buds just about to open; one having recently done so.
Young coots, growing fast, West Park
This year’s young coots, West Park. Now they’re growing fast. They’ve lost the red down above their beaks – the trigger for the adults to feed them. Instead, they are now (mostly) finding their own food, and swimming off on their own without being constantly watched by the parents.
Butterfly eggs, cabbage white
Butterfly eggs on the underside of a leaf. Probably left by a large white (aka cabbage white) butterfly)
Buff-tailed bumble bee, a brief rest
Buff-tailed bumble bee with very well-filled pollen baskets, taking a brief rest on the edge of a garden table (hence the elongated shadow).
After a couple of minutes, it flew off again.