Small Copper and friend

The friend being a Marmalade Hoverfly.  Maybe not too friendly as the hoverfly moved off quickly when it found the flower occupied.  This is the first time that I have seen a Small Copper in the garden, though I have photographed them in the surrounding fields this year.  This one is looking a bit chewed on the nearside wing, so it’s probably had a few lucky escapes.  It’s feeding on the Hylotelephium spectabile (can you believe that new name - it used to be simply Sedum Spectabile!)

We had a very good lunch with my brother at The Travellers earlier, followed by a trip to Argo in Penistone to buy wild bird seed.  I’ve finally got around to cleaning the feeders and re-hanging them which finished off the existing supply we had in the shed.  I’ve also been staking a few of my new plants and moving one or two pots into a more sheltered place as strong winds are forecast over night and into tomorrow.  Let’s hope it’s not too bad.