Some Interesting Sights About The Patch

Continuing with the theme of 'not much in the way of birds in this birding blog', here be the odd this and that that I've come across in recent days whilst sweltering staggering patrolling the Patch.

There is the odd thing of interest and possibly even of, if not rarity, then certainly a little scarcity [oooh, what can he mean?].

Where to start? Hmm. How about this?

Common Vetch

[possibly V.s.sativa?]

Pyramidal Orchid

Common Wintergreen

Viper's Bugloss?

[Or something exotic that looks like it??]

Ivy Broomrape*

Showing the 'nosecone'

Cute little parasites, aren't they?

Well, everyone else has shot these chaps..

[plus a nice Small Scabious]

Silver-spotted Large Skipper

;)

Bee!

Another bee!

Bumblebee!

Spider!

Action shot!

::Theme from 'Mission Impossible'::

What's that sound?

Still looks like a Lynx to me...

The even larger race of Merlin

You thought the humour was bad? Now see my efforts at stargazing...

Through reflector

Through refractor

What the..?!?!?!

These blobs are actually [and points if you guessed it] Jupiter and the Galilean Moons, as seen through my two scopes. Both are a mere 82mm, and while there are a few minutes between the two images [only room for one at a time on my skygarden], and of course the reflector shoots backwards, they aren't too bad, considering I had to hand-hold to the eyepieces...
Viewed the right way around; Io is very close in at about 5 o'clock to Jupiter, Callisto well out at 8:30, and Ganymede and Europa appear close together at 8:45



Bet you miss the gulls now, eh? ;D

*Ivy Broomrape is apparently quite scarce nationally, and indeed about the Patch I've so far only found it along a hundred metres or so of one road [naturally, I can't say which road without permission from the PTB].
It isn't the easiest thing to find, being a root parasite. For those going 'huh?', these are plants which 'borrow' other plants' roots and live off them. Being unable to photosynthesise themselves, they stay underground, only sticking up a flower head when they want to reproduce - which is the only time you can find them without a LOT of digging.. Other species live off Gorse and Broom [thus the name], and pea spp., for example. I don't need to say what Ivy Broomrape parasitizes, do I? ;)


The Patch will return.

Be Seeing You...