One very notable massive increase due to our warmer British isles
I’m partway through removing all of our box shrubs and hedges - I generally love moths, but these fucking things… They took longer to arrive than I expected, but it’s pointless trying to ‘fight’ them. Replacing the box with Japanese holly and bush Loniceras instead - until something arrives that eats those!
Biosecurity is the main issue with a lot of invasives - we should stop importing plants that are not fully treated and quarantined. Fat fucking chance of that of course, and the genie’s already out of the bottle with a lot of nasty stuff…
When we came back from holiday at the end of July I found that our local hedgehog had decided to give birth in a bucket under my outside kitchen.
After making them a proper run , we have been looking after them and will hopefully release them next Sunday
Lovely.
Young raccoons, spotted a third running across the road as I was approaching then stumbled upon these two.
They’re all old enough to be on their own, their mother would have long abandoned them, they’ll be looking for their own winter shelters and mates soon
I went and had a look and was surprised to find it’s the exact same species that proliferates here in the UK right now, Araneus diadematus.
Might be a trick of perspective, but suspect that’s a male bottom right, hoping to get jiggy/likely to be lunch…
What’s with all the sodding tiny white flies this year? We’ve been plagued with all kinds of flies all year long, houseflies, bluebottles, fruit flies and now trillions of these little white cunts.
Cabbage Whitefly - actually in the bug family - plant-sucking pests that are booming because of the weather and the enormous amount of brassics that have gone to seed in fields everywhere due to low quality and lack of demand. Little swines are everywhere this year.
Harry Potter fans are going to be all over this!
Pleased to see one over the last couple of days here still buzzing around the Phlox, Agastache and Salvias
MAD late in the year for 'em 
I think its telling that all our nectar rich flowers such as Salvia, Agastache, Buddleia (just) and Phlox are still flowering well. Even the Red Valerian is still going, a known Adult food as well as caterpillar food for them! Heck, even most of my Roses are now starting to all flower again with new buds after recovering from the drought up until early September.
Needs the air temps high enough as well - definitely isn’t here today!
