Snapshots of the day: Red soldier beetles

Beetle on hogweed

I always like to identify insects so I was pleased to spot this one in the hogweed border on the western edge of Llandaff Fields as I walked back from visiting the sycamore tree I am following.

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2023 tree following 7: Give me shelter…

Raindrops on leaves of the sycamore I am following in Llandaff Fields, Cardiff

Here in South Wales the weather cannot make its mind up. After a sweltering and bone-dry few weeks in June it is now cool, wet and windy in July. But we should count ourselves lucky we haven’t got the record scorching temperatures being suffered by southern Europe at the moment.

When I visited the big sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) in Llandaff Fields yesterday morning it had been showery but I thought I had escaped the rain so didn’t take an umbrella.

Luckily I didn’t cut across the rugby pitches but approached from the entrance to the fields, as there was a sudden squall and I had to take shelter under one of the lime (linden) trees in the avenue.

Here are the photos from my visit…

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Tree following link box for July 2023

The Woodland Trust, in partnership with the Welsh Government and Llais Y Goedwig, gave away tens of thousands of trees to be planted in Wales recently – we were lucky enough to be given a guelder rose and this silver birch, which was just a twig when it arrived but is currently flourishing in a pot before we plant it out in the garden

It’s that time again for the monthly tree-following get-together. Here in Cardiff we had weeks of scorching dry weather in June, with any rain or thunderstorms passing frustratingly to the north west or south-east of us – we just could not catch any showers. But the weather has at last broken over the last week and I can stop watering the garden at last.

I hope to visit the sycamore tree I am following in Llandaff Fields some time this week and I hope you have all had a chance to inspect your trees. I look forward to seeing everyone’s news and pictures once again.

I’m sure you regular tree followers will have something to report. Point to any tree-related post you would like to share, using the link box below. And please don’t forget to leave a comment.

The link box is now open for contributions and will stay open until 7pm GMT on July 14.

If you are new to tree following, read all about the idea here, although the page is in need of an update…

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Snapshots of the day: Young birds

Young great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos Major) in the garden

I have become far too blasé about baby birds in the garden – they arrive like clockwork every spring and I no longer make much of an effort to take photos.

But the young woodpeckers are always a treat with their orange-topped heads and I was pleased to see them again in recent weeks. I thought there was only one youngster but it was ever present pecking away at the fat block or drinking from the birdbath. Then I realised it was two birds, taking it in turns…

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