Sunday 10 July 2011

A Few Bugs Around the Garden and a Feathered Friend

I thought it was time for a change from my last few posts, so I decided to do a post on the bugs that I have photographed around the garden this year.  I have several followers who are very talented when identifying insects, so although I will give names where I can, I quite expect to be told that they are incorrect!
This caterpillar is that of a Knapweed Fritillary butterfly

No, I was not brave enough to allow this spider on my hand!!  It is on its web, just in front of my fingers. It was the only way I could photograph it, as it was so small and the camera would not focus. My reference book has nothing like this in it, so I have no ideas. Help!
Thanks Lucie the spider is identified as Mangora acalypha.


This beetle was on my holly minding its own business, again I have no identification! My suspicion was correct, and has now been conformed by 3 of my followers and this is the Colorado beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) which is very destructive to potatoes  Thankfully I have not seen any more. Thank you Nadege, Noushka and Roz

Oops, how did I end up on my back?
Someone has tried to roll me over, but now I am playing dead just in case.
Oh well, perhaps I had better try to get back on my feet again!!
This is possibly a Rose Chafer but I am not certain; the head does not look quite right to me. I was right here and confirmed by Noushka, thank you.
Presumably one of the ladybird family - I am not very good at this identification business, am I!!!
Also thanks to Lucie the Ladybug is: Hippodamia variégata
This could be a carpet moth of some kind but........
Again thanks to Lucie - Hemaris fuciformis, the gassed Sphinx moth
Swallowtail, Scarce - Iphiclides podalirius, it looks as if this one has been in the wars as it has lost its 'tails' on both wings
This is a Humming Bird Hawk Moth and I have been trying for several years to take a photo like this.  My camera cannot cope with the high wing speed, and apart from this, they move around far too quickly for me.  This was a lucky shot where the moth momentarily stayed in the same place just long enough for me to catch it in this pose.

As I type this I am listening to the call of the Little Owl. As far as I know there are three of them outside. I have just been out to check and there is one on the roof of our house, one on a nearby telephone pole and the third one is in a tree in the garden.  They have a lot to say this evening and I just love listening to them.  They have been around a lot this year and I am really happy to have them here. The following photo is with thanks to http://www.birdsofberkshire.co.uk/jPEG/DSCN6509-little-owl.jpg
The Little Owl

100 comments:

  1. Great photos! I've never actually seen the hummingbird moth but have been told we have a lot of them here. Now I'll know what to look for. I did a short "bug" post yesterday, too, and the big green figeater beetle is known around here as a junebug...although i always knew junebug to be a pretty generic term for any beetle that wasn't the little Japanese beetle. I love trying to get shots of creatures in my yard!

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  2. Hello Diane:
    What a diversity of insect life you show us here. We are not very good with creepy crawlies of any kind, either being near them or identifying them, but we do find them fascinating and beautiful.

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  3. Nice capture of your local bugs and wonderful to listen to the owls.

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  4. I don't know my insect names, but I really enjoyed your pictures.

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  5. Deb from WhatsInMyAttic most of the humming bird hawk moths seem to be a rusty colour, but we have a few of these green ones around. Other than the colour they are just the same. You can hear the wings humming they move so fast. We have so many different small creatures around here but I have no macro so taking photos is not always easy. Diane

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  6. Jane and Lance I am also not very good with creepy crawlies though I am fascinated by them as well. I like butterflies and moths, dragonflies and some of the beetles, but I will never get used to spiders and stick insects!! So long as they keep still I will try to take photos but if a spider moves so do I !!!Diane

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  7. Gaelyn I just love the Little Owls they are so cute, they have such a strange call nothing like the usual owl. Diane

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  8. Thanks Susan. Despite having bought myself a book on insects I still cannot identify the bugs around here! Diane

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  9. Oh Diane, this is a lovely,lovely post! Love your collection of beautiful and talented bugs! They will make great subjects for my carving. I could have been an entomologist because I always love to study insects since childhood. Fascinating creatures just buzzing around the garden!
    Your posts Diane are a breath of fresh air always! Cheers!!!!

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  10. Diane, I absolutely love insects. I used to collect them myself. Tucked away from the rest of the city of Boston in the last house on a dead end street surrounded by many trees and greenery gives my access to bugs and birds I might not be able to experience were I living some place more "cityfied". =)

    Your pictures are lovely!

    9 months and 10 days pregnant. Even though he's ready for the world, it seems as though my baby isn't yet ready to leave me. Which just thrills me! I'm actually not due until July 27th, my birthday. So, it could happen any time within the next hour through that day. =) <3

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  11. I think it is a doryphore in photos #4 and #5.
    Bad news for your potatoes if there are too many doryphores.

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  12. michelangelo thanks as always for your very kind comments. I can imagine that bugs give you some great ideas for your carvings. Take care Diane

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  13. Ree great to hear from you. I am amazed that you are still around and that your baby has not been born yet!! Maybe he will be a birthday present for you. Take care and look after yourself, and the baby of course.

    Glad you enjoyed this post. Diane

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  14. Nadege I did wonder if it was a Colorado Beetle but I have only seen the one around. Hopefully there are no more and my potatoes seem fine other than the extreme lack of water!! Diane

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  15. I know absolutely NOTHING about the subject, but enjoy your photos

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  16. We have a plethora of insects around too, some biting, some not, some munching on the brassicas quite happily, others looking innocent but are probably up to some mischief. Lovely photo of that humming moth. They fascinate me the way they hover, just like a humming bird!

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  17. Anni I don't know much either, ha ha, but I still like taking photos of them. Diane

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  18. Vera I am sure we have more than our share of biting insects but I never seem to see them!! I was very happy with this picture of the humming bird hawk moth with a cheap camera, it did though take me a long time to get it !! Diane

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  19. KitchenStories, thanks for the comment, Have a good day. Diane

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  20. You've got some great photos there Diane. Just awesome!

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  21. Thanks Joyful, I am not that good with insects but it makes a change from time to time :-) Diane

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  22. You did a great job of photographing those guys Diane.
    I really like the ladybird - they just seem so much less "threatening" to me than other bugs!
    Good post!

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  23. Thanks Craig. The humming bird hawk moth is my favourite (besides the Little Owl, but I also love the lady bird family. Some of the others can do so much damage :-( Diane

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  24. The post is very interesting with those bugs and the owl! You captured them so well!!
    http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com

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  25. Thanks Purabi Naha for the kind comments. Have a good week. Diane

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  26. Thanks Stina, Have a good week. Diane

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  27. Belas fotografias...Espectacular....
    Cumprimentos

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  28. Fernando Santos (Chana,Saudações, obrigado pelo comentário. Diane

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  29. You are a renaissance woman. You are as talented with the camera as you are with a hammer and paint brush. These are fantastic photos. I'll admit to a bit of envy. Have a wonderful day, Diane. Blessings...Mary

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  30. Love to hear the soothing sounds of the birds. Hope you have a good day.

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  31. Mary thanks so much for you very kind comments but really when things go right for me, especially with the camera, there is a lot of luck attached to it. You do not see how many pictures that get deleted!! Today has been a manual labour day moving earth so no photos! Diane

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  32. Becca I could sit in the garden for hours on end if only I had the time!! Because I feed the birds there are always plenty around and the 'music' never stops. Take care and have a good week. Diane

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  33. My kids loved this post! The owl is beautiful.

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  34. Amazing, we pass by these creatures all the time, and ignore them most of that time. They're lovely, great pictures - especially the beatles.

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  35. Pam glad your kids approved :-) The owl is just delightful, and although I hear them on and off from time to time during the day and the night, it seems that at 22h30 they are almost always at our house. As it is still fairly light and only heading for twilight at the moment then, I get to see them quite well. Diane

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  36. Indie.Tea thanks. You are right, how many of these creatures do we miss while walking around our gardens? Take care Diane

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  37. I'm not much help with identification Diane, but super pics!

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  38. Thanks GaynorB, there are just so many insects around and unless you know what you are doing identification is very difficult!!!! Never the less I still like taking photos of them. Diane

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  39. i would give ANYTHING to have that owl in my garden....

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  40. I saw your comment on Rob's Dordogne blog, so I had to come here to read about your gardening in the Charente. We vacation in France every year, but haven't yet made it to your region.

    Recently, I was able to get a good photo of a clearwing hummingbird moth (hemaris thysbe) and posted it on my blog. It was visiting blazing star (liatris ligulistylis). I hate to leave a link in a comment, but you can probably find the June 2011 article on my blog if you want to see it.

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  41. What incredible photos. I particularly liked the Humming Bird Hawk Moth, though they were all lovely and lady birds are definitely my favourite. :-)

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  42. Tes photos sont superbes. Merci pour toutes ces précisions.
    See soon.

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  43. Great photos of the bugs! I've been meaning to do the same in my yard and have just been too distracted by other things to sit down for a few minutes and do it.

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  44. Nadji. Merci pour votre visite et commentaire. A tres bientôt. Diane

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  45. My Farmhouse Kitchen You have no idea how happy I am to have them around the garden :-) There is also a tawny Owl that I hear from time to time so it must be nesting around here somewhere. Diane

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  46. Hi Cameron, thanks for your visit. Yes I did find your June photo of the hawk moth, beautiful. Hope to see you back sometime Take care Diane

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  47. Hi Froggy, yes the humming bird hawk moth was my favourite as well, but I also liked the ladybird. The owls though I just love. Hope all well over there. Diane xx

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  48. Hi Jen thank you for visiting. I know the feeling I get distracted with every turn I make!! I am supposed to be making courgette pickle right at this moment so I had better get back to it!!! Diane

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  49. What a fun bug post, I am either not as observant as you or we have nothing like the variety. I did capture in a shot a swallowtail this am but not with open wings, you must have been very patient to get that shot.

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  50. your garden is surrounded by all these creatures?! i'm worse than you, i think i would even have diffiluty trying to figure out what insect are those..ha! nice shot, anyway!

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  51. Linda I am the most impatient person in the world :-) That was an interesting shot as it had obviously had its wings zapped by some bird or something. The one I took that is in my side panel is much better. There are plenty of bugs around, but between my impatients and a cheap camera when I do get decent photos there is a massive amount of luck attached to it :-) Diane

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  52. Lena if you walk around quietly and look for the slightest movement you see all sorts of creatures around the garden. Identifying them (for me) is quite a different story!! Diane

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  53. Wonderful set of shots, Diane! Love all the bugs and the owl too, of course.

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  54. Thanks JM, I am really enjoying listening to the owls each night. Diane

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  55. My favourite is the green bug that couldn't get the right way up- I love that sheen on its carapace. (if that is the right word) (?)

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  56. Hi Jenny thanks for visiting. I have no idea if that is the right word for a beetle, but I know it applies to shell fish. Whatever, I know what you mean and I agree the colour is beautiful. Have a good weekend Diane

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  57. Wow, these are incredible, you know your way around a camera unlike me.
    Have just spotted the delish recipe below..must investigate!

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  58. Bourbon&Pearls, I have no idea how to use a camera!! It is a supermarket special that I just happen to get a few good shots out of the many that I take!!!! That last recipe was brilliant, I will certainly be making it again. Take care Diane

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  59. I'm the little dummy who shrieks when she sees bugs. But I do love your little owl! We have an owl or 2 around here; I hear them at night.

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  60. Ha ha Marjie, I have learnt what you are like with bugs!!! The owl is just so lovely, but it has an odd call, nothing like the typical owl call. The tawny owl though sounds typical when I hear it. Diane

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  61. Caterpillars,beware of processionary ones evil things, kill and destroy, if you have nests, look like cobwebs in the trees destroy, be sure to wear a mask, best way is to burn them, keep all animals and children away from them. eating just a few of these will kill a dog.
    Shield bugs, or stink bugs, kind of cute eh.
    Paul

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  62. Your beetle looks like the Colorado beetle, not a good thing to have http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_potato_beetle they will destroy your crops.

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  63. Hello Diane!
    Lovely series!
    The first beetle below the spider is:
    Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)
    You've got right for the Rose chafer (Cetonia aurata)
    I don't have the time to check your ladybug but is one the many species!
    Your Humming Bird Hawk Moth is stunning too!
    Well done!
    You seem to have many friends in your garden!
    Just be careful with the "potato beetle" if you grow...potatoes! They are terribly destructive!
    Cheers,
    XXXXX

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  64. Paul and Roz, thanks for your interest. I never see anything other than the odd caterpillar around and I hope that it stays that way! I have already mentioned that the beetle looks like a Colorado beetle in one of my answers earlier on. It is the only one I have seen and I have kept my eyes open in case. That one was nowhere near the vegetables either, but of course it could have gone in that direction after! I have not seen it again though. Diane

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  65. Bonjour Diane,
    Une superbe collection dans votre jardin!Quelques noms : l'araignée est une Mangora acalypha, très jolie!
    La coccinelle : Hippodamia variégata
    Le papillon sphinx:Hemaris fuciformis, le Sphinx gazé! Bravo pour la photo, c'est vraiment difficile de réussir à une bonne image.
    Vos petites chevêches me font rêver, quelle jolie compagnie!

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  66. Thanks Noushka, Lucie has done the looking up for both of us and I have added the names to the post. Thankfully that was the only Colorado beetle I have seen and I have checked my potatoes very carefully. Next door grow more that I do so perhaps that is a better feeding ground!! I will watch out again next year! Take care and thanks for the help. Diane

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  67. Lucie, Merci beaucoup pour les indentifications. J'ai ajouté sur mon blog. J'aime les petites chevêches, elles sont belles. Diane x

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  68. Nice post!
    Nice pics!
    Nice bugs!
    Thanks for sharing, I truly enjoyed the visit. :)

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  69. Fresh Garden. Thanks so much for your visit and your kind comments. You have some very interesting posts on your blog. Glad you enjoyed your visit. Diane

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  70. As usual great photography Diane. You captured hat hummingbird in flight, how amazing! It shows how talented a photographer you are.

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  71. Thanks Marco Pasha but I don't think there is much talent there, just luck when I get a decent shot out of all I take !!! I have been trying for the humming bird moth for many moons. Diane

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  72. Diane those are lovely photos! I really enjoyed them all, I don't mind bugs at all tho I absolutely am terrified of snakes. Aren't your friends clever, knowing all the names! Your property in France sounds so peaceful and relaxing.

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  73. Thanks Dolly. I am OK with some bugs but I stay away from spiders and stick insects, give me a snake any day :-) I think this is the most relaxing place, despite masses of work to do, that I have ever lived! Hope you had a good trip home. Good to have you back. Diane x

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  74. Even a photo of a snake makes me freeze in fear, so I appreciate the warnings you show on your blog Diane! Yes had a brilliant 5 days, meeting Froggy was the icing on my birthday cake! Now I am recuperating and catching up on lost sleep! I should be back blogging with tales of London soon-ish :) before a friend arrives from Britanny on Saturday!!!

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  75. Fabulous photos Diane. I am much too squeamish to get near bugs, even good gardening bugs. To heck whether you know their names or not. You are one brave gardener.
    Sam

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  76. Sam I am just fine with bugs and snakes, just don't put spiders, praying mantis or stick insects near me, not brave at all!!! Diane

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  77. You have some very good shots in these post.
    I really love the Humming Bird Moth.
    When I was a child I called it "Big Nose" and I was used to wait for it,on my mother's flowers, in the late evening.

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  78. Easy does it for me! I love to watch these critters, but I wouldn't pick them up either, ever since I get a big swell just pruning roses. I did enjoy all the variety you showed, and the knowledge your readers brought to bear.

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  79. I usually don't like insects at all but I love your pictures ! ;o)
    Hélène

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  80. Hi Andrea, I love the idea of the 'big nose' can see me using that now for the rest of time, it is very apt! Have a good weekend Diane

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  81. Great post! Love the photos. The owl is beautiful.

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  82. Rosaria I have some followers who are very talented when it comes to identification. I find it very difficult to identify these bugs. take care Diane

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  83. Thanks Hélène, I am quite happy to photograph them while in the garden. I don't like them in the house and I can only handle some of them!!! Diane

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  84. Christine's Pantry, thanks for the kind comments, I agree the owl is quite stunning. I love having them around. Take care Diane

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  85. I definitely wouldn't be brave enough to photograph any of these bugs closely!

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  86. Peggy other than the spider the others were not a problem. I will never live to like eight legged insects :-) Diane

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  87. Diane, congratulations!!!!
    You are a big photo-talent!!!!
    Fantastic photos!!!
    I wish you a happy summer,why am away from the Internet, until September.
    Sorry about that.
    Many greetings

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  88. Magda, thanks for the kind comments and good wishes. I hope you have a fantastic holiday, we will be here when you return in September :-) Take care. Diane

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  89. Cuisine de Provence well some of them are!!! Diane

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  90. I consider butterflies and birds some of the most difficult subjects to photograph. It's wonderful that you have managed to take such a photo of the hummingbird. I love owls. We have one in the neighbourhood, hooting in the evening :)

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  91. Olga I have to admit to being impressed with myself getting that hummingbird hawk moth with my little camera!!! I love listening to the owls but the little owl has a completely different call to a normal owl, it sounds almost like a kitten calling! Diane

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  92. Oooo... thanks so much for posting this! It has been a hectic week. I'm glad at least I'm feeling good by lookng at these pictures. Nice shoot!
    Kristy

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  93. You've got some beautiful critters in your garden. I am not into worms but those bugs are cute.

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  94. Kristy, glad you enjoyed the pictures, bugs always take me a long time to take photos of!! Diane

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  95. chubskulit thanks, some are cute but others...... Diane

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  96. Two fit and fun gals thanks for the comment and the visit. As long as bugs stay outside I am happy with them, I don't like them in the house!! Diane

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