Shoulder pads

Even a shieldbug* is a welcome sight in these insect-lite times. Where are the moths, beetles and grasshoppers of yesteryear? Not in my garden that's for sure.

As a small child, out with my father in the countryside where we lived, it was my wont to lift up a flat stone to see what was  beneath. All sort of invertebrates would scurry around. But now it mostly woodlice and rarely anything else. Even the soil seems strangely devoid of activity. But my son, who has an allotment in Manchester, captures some remarkable images and footage of wildlife in his urban environment.

As usual I'm days behind with a blip. I've been hard at it in the garden: there are raspberries, gooseberries and red currants  to pick (the birds got the currants) and now the ground is so dry I'm having to water  the thirstiest vegetables. 


*I think it's a common hawthorn shieldbug