Thursday Thoughts – My Wild Garden

A pause in the welcome rain…and I could take a stroll in my summer garden. You probably know that I strive to make it bee and insect friendly. And some things are coming along nicely, at least my old apple tree. Let’s go and see!

The old apple tree gave in some years ago, but I decided to make it come alive again – with the help of clematis and honeysuckle. I tried several clematis, and finally this one was the winner. In the pot, an orange Clarkia.

As you can see, the wild flowers are growing after the long draught. Everything withered and yellow – but wild flowers are hardy and made to live here. Species of Scabious are popular among bees, beetles and butterflies.

The old tree is filled with various insects, sometimes so small that I can hardly see them.

Honeysuckle is now an established climber – but it took some years. Summernights are filled with their lovely scent.

One of my insect hotels found its place here too.

Two bird baths by this tree, one on the ground for the big birds and one hanging for the smaller ones. Keeping them filled is essential to the birds. I have a third one on the ground for the hedgehogs.

Clarkia was a new acquaintance to me, but I like its soft colours accompanying the old trunk.

Agapanthus is a sweet friend of mine, and this year it has developed 17 stems. I got the plant from a dear friend who passed away some years ago. I am very grateful for this gift, and I think of him every time I admire it and water it.

The tour ends in my glasshouse, where there are only edible plants during summer – and some cacti. This big lady is flowering now, having 8 buds. A joy!

Thank you so much for visiting and walking with me in my favourite place!

Thursday Thoughts – Midsummer and Wild Orchids

We have reached the longest day this year – already. So fast the days , hours and minutes flow. Time is Unstoppable. The flowers are just beginning their parade and the birds have released their first fledglings. From now on, it will get darker for every day we open in our calender. But, for all of you down under – summer is returning!

I hope you will enjoy a walk with me to some of the wild flowers and orchids of June in Skåne. Most of them are different Dactylorhiza. Wishing a Happy Midsummer to you who celebrate, and a lovely weekend to all of you!

Thursday Thoughts – Ronneby Brunnspark

Summertime we visit this park often – not just because of the closeness to our summer house, but also because of its outstanding beauty. Please enjoy a short Thursday walk with me for some summer glory!

The beauty is there even if there are no flowers. Only silence and soothing greeeeeeen.

But the waters are alive, and

the rhododendrons magnificent.

The laburnum was past its best,

but still quite lovely. At least the bumble bees thought so!

And well, who can resist this colour? I can’t.

Thank you for walking with me!

Lens-Artists Challenge #252 – What’s Bugging You?

Donna is our host this week, with the intriguing quest for what’s bugging us… And well, mostly I don’t think anything is bugging me…but since Donna asks for it…here’s my gallery of lovely bugs!

Tiny things are often in my lens – I do love macro, but close-ups are ok too. And bugs are definitely an interesting topic.

A big friend…a bit too big for me to feel comfortable! More than once I have had one of these jumping into my face.

This golden guy though, a flower chafer, can also scare me with his sudden thumping into me or my world. He is rather heavy and clumsy – but also a great beauty. In Swedish he is called ”Golden Beetle”, and belongs to the scarab beetles. Which leads me to a visit in the Moroccan desert some years ago.

I cannot say how impressed I was by this little creature covering so much ground so fast in this endless ocean of sand. The first shot is in early morning light and the second is late evening.

Last summer I made some new acquaintances in my own garden – this one I had never seen before and I still don’t know who he is…

Aromia, a handsome longhorn beetle, sitting on a yesterday’s glass left outdoors.

A gallery of last year’s summerfriends – makes me long for the insects to return. The cold and windy spring has taken its toll. But we are ready for take-off!

A special thank you to Anne for last week’s challenge Buildings and Other Structures. It is always fascinating to see how different buildings/structures are constructed and can be both functional and art.

Next week, our guest host is Brian of Bushboys World. The view of Australia through his lens is always fascinating. Be sure to visit his site and join all of us as he challenges us to look for: Fragments.

Interested in going the Lens-Artists challenge? Click here for more information.