Tiny Tuesday - Elderberry and Common Carder Bee

We're on holiday for the next two weeks, just at home. Today we had a really lovely day out east to Victoria Tower in search of the elusive Long-tailed Blue butterflies. We did see one or maybe two long tails but they were so flighty and didn't sit still for long. I did manage a couple of shots and have put the best one on extras. They are a migratory species and normally only found in south of England and the Channel Islands. Apparently they are a real pest in France as the larvae munch on pea plants!

There were loads of Red Admirals, a couple of Painted ladies and tons of bees and flies on ivy flowers covering an Elder. It was just wonderful watching them feeding and moving from flower to flower. It's a great time of year to see lots of insects on ivy flowers, especially if it's in a sunny spot.

After our picnic lunch at  Victoria Tower we walked down to Anneport where the tide was nearly high but there was plenty of stony beach left to walk along.