The Bright Flowers of Figgate Park

Figgate Park is a lovely park in the east of Edinburgh, that runs along part of the length of the Figgate Burn

It is generally an excellent place to see birds, though yesterday there weren't a great number. It was nice to see that the mute swans have raised five cygnets to adolescence

and this young moorhen enjoyed posing for us, showing off it's feet, which are lobed unlike the more familiar webbed feet of ducks, swans and geese

The floral borders are looking stunning at the moment

and are full of hoverflies, including our first ever sighting of a dark form of the very common marmalade hoverfly (more usually predominantly an orange insect)

and a Myathropa florea

as well as a pied hoverfly on the buddleia, which might be expected to be covered in butterflies, but which wasn't.

There were several ladybirds around, including this one that has found a cosy looking resting place