Swarms Of Moths

This morning I stepped out in the very warm sunshine with my camera. In the front garden the crab apple blossoms and the first of the libertia are blooming; the Amanogawa cherry reaches above the eaves; and some of our cyclamen still flower.

The yellow and red tulips in the patio bed which have taken some time to open fully have stretched for the kiss of the sun; Erigeron clambers beside the kitchen door. The red Japanese maple shows its colour; all our camellias remain laden with blooms. Shadows fall across the paths; a glass robin’s breast glints in the light; the chair in the Weeping Birch bed awaits a visitor; all but the broken stem of the last year’s New Zealand flax stand proud against the blue sky; Florence sculpture looks back towards the house; aubretia spills over the rocks bordering the Gazebo Path.

Tulipa Lilac Wonder has yet to welcome the sun’s rays. Bumble bees lumber among the yellow lamium. The Waterboy offers liquid refreshment.

This afternoon could even be described as hot. The Lilac Wonders now opened wide, as did more varieties; bluebells proliferate; Autumn sculpture enjoys a little shade. The carved owl we bought on our recent visit to Hockey’s now stands at the feet of Florence sculpture.

We were treated to swarms of hummingbird moths, hardly bigger than the forget-me-not blooms that they favoured.

This evening we dined on Mr Pink’s fish and chips, mushy peas, and pickled onions, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Shiraz.

67 comments

  1. Everything is popping up faster than I can learn their names! Beautiful, Derrick. Congratulate the Master Gardener for me.

      1. They’re a form of lacewing moth I believe but commonly called hummingbird moths. The larger hummingbird hawk moth is a visitor with a fast wing beat but neither is big enough to make much noise… or it may just be my hearing!!

  2. I’m so envious of your hummingbird moths! What a wonderful treat those are. I’ve seen a very few of a different species, but I’d love to find more this spring and summer. Winter certainly is only a memory now, isn’t it? The garden is beautiful.

  3. Your garden is looking fabulous in the spring sunshine Derrick,,, and I have placed your “owl” photo in my ‘Derrick File’

  4. It’s looking fabulous Derrick; we’re still at the fading daffodil stage in the frozen north. I remember a Mr Pink from the provisions department at my local Waitrose; he used to cut the bacon.

  5. I love tulips. I’ve never been very successful with them. I either get a beautiful flower an inch from the ground or a 2 foot tall stem with a measly bud that does open but turns brown and drops off.

    It looks like Spring in your garden. Our garden is seeing the first signs of Autumn.

  6. Such beautiful photos! The garden is smiling! I always love seeing Florence AND the owls! The carved owl is a beauty! To see the hummingbird moths in action/at work is fun! They are tiny little creatures. I’m glad the swarm was not a biblical plague type of swarm! 😮 😉 😀
    (((HUGS))) 🙂

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