Buzzing Bees and Clashing Colours

We've had a few days of rain and cool mists but today so far has been hot and sunny (though it's clouding over just now). Crafty Green Boyfriend and I walked round Corstorphine Hill at lunchtime. I love the clashing colours of the rosebay willowherb and the ragworts which are both out in prfusion at the minute

Lots of bees, wasps and hoverflies were buzzing round, the first phto shows a species of bumble bee and the second is a honey bee. Both are feeding on ragwort.

Also plenty of butterflies, which we dutifully recorded for the Big Butterfly Count. We saw ringlets, meadow browns, whites and a small tortoiseshell.

All the insects seemed to be enjoying the hit weather. Indeed, this hot weather has allowed British butterflies to bounce back a little bit after their populations have been declining drastically over the past few years.

Finally, here is a photo I took last week of common spotted orchid, also on Corstorphine Hill. There are more of these orchids in the orchid field by the Water of Leith, but here on the hill, it's possible to get close and photograph the whole plant, showing the spotted leaves, which give the plant its name.

(Weather update, it's raining again now!)

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