Catch up time!
When dropping the Not-So-Smalls off at my parents’ house for the weekend, I spotted this little Red & Black Froghopper – it was friendly enough to let me have a closer look for a minute before living up to its name and frog hopping away!
Froghoppers are the beasties responsible for Cuckoo Spit on plants – they make the little blobs of bubbles to protect their babies and stop them from drying out before they are ready to turn into their adult form.
‘If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.’
E. O. Williams
On Saturday, we were down in Wells & Glastonbury for the wedding of some friends so we spent most of the day outside (as proven by my sunburn… oops) – my phone had died by the evening, but my 30DW moment for the day was watching the pastel pink sunset over one side of the venue field, and the big honey-golden moon rise over the other side, both at the same time. It was a pretty special sight on a pretty special day ❤
‘It is a beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the Moon.’
Galileo Galilei
The morning after the wedding, I returned to the venue for breakfast outdoors and then pootled down the road for a quiet walk in Shapwick Heath Nature Reserve before heading home.
And boy am I glad I did. Only day 4 and I think I peaked.
I spent about 40 minutes there and saw:
- four types of dragonfly (broad-bodied chasers, four-spotted chasers, emperor dragonflies, & a southern hawker)
- two types of damselfly (common blue & beautiful demoiselle)
- multiple butterflies
- hover flies
- bees
- a thick-legged flower beetle (male)
- some fish
- a deer
- swans
- great white egrets
- a cormorant
- a massive bird of prey that I assume was a Kite but as it was flying towards the sun I can’t be sure – I just know it was big, and had a lighter coloured head than its wings/body
I also heard a cuckoo for the first time in a long time, but the real and ultimate highlight was hearing the distinctive BOOM BOOM BOOM of a bittern, which is something that has been on my Birding Bucket List since I was little.
So cool!!
‘O Cuckoo! shall I call thee bird, Or but a wandering voice?’
William Wordsworth
Today was all about catching up on washing and house stuff from the weekend away, and prepping for Cubs tonight – so I took inspiration from my bingo card and spent five minutes in the garden stroking three different tree’s leaves and taking in the different textures.
It was actually really interesting to do because I’m sure I’ve touched all those trees before, but never consciously ‘felt’ them and concentrated on their textures rather than what they look like. Taking a moment to close my eyes and just let my fingers do the ‘looking’ was quite restful and calming.
‘A tree is beautiful, but what’s more, it has a right to life; like water, the sun and the stars, it is essential. Life on earth is inconceivable without trees.’
Anton Chekhov
Whilst I’m mentioning my bingo card – here it is so far…
What random acts of wildness have you done over the last few days?
Carole Finds Her Wings 