RedAdmiral

A dazzling Red admiral here, albeit not splaying its wings properly for the camera. But actually, the underside of the wings is arguably more fascinating anyway, as shown in the next picture. I particularly like the fine striping of the antenna, visible in both pictures and a subtle detail that you have to look close to see.

RedAdmiralWingsClosed

Note that these butterflies are mostly migrants, though some are now overwintering in the South of England.

01. August 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: Plants

ManxFlower

I found this rather captivating flower growing as a weed amongst the gravel of my driveway. I particularly noticed the three 'legs' spinning out from the centre, just like the Isle of Man's famous symbol. I can't say I've seen one before. Does anybody know what it is? It's only small – say 3cm across the flower itself.

Update: thanks to Jane whose comment below clued me in to the fact that this is a Nigella flower, commonly known as Love-in-a-mist.