Monthly Archives: October 2021

Lens-Artists Challenge #171 – Weird and Wonderful

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This week’s Lens-Artists Challenge #171 is – Weird and Wonderful.

There are some pretty weird insects out there – here a cockchafer, one of Ireland’s larger beetles at up to 35mm in length. They are sometimes called Maybugs The adults only live for about 6 weeks and they are usually seen in May and June (hence name), but the larva live underground for up to three years eating plant roots.

  • Cockchafer

Next an oil beetle – not the best photo but these are one of the weirdest things I have seen in the garden. I wrote about them last year when we found this one in the garden – see link here.

  • Oil beetle

We did some pond dipping workshops with school children back in September and these were the most popular find – a water scorpion. These aren’t true scorpions – the “tail” they actually use as a kind of snorkel to breath through. They use their front pinchers to catch small fish and tadpoles.

  • Water scorpion

Six on Saturday – 16th October 2021

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Mid October and nearly Halloween. Below my squash and pumpkin harvest this year.

  • Squash and Pumpkin

The continuing relatively mild weather means that late flowering cosmos are still providing some good colour.

  • Cosmos

Meanwhile the sweet chestnuts are getting ripe.

  • Sweet chestnut

Once again the choke berry leaves are putting on a wonderful autumn display.

  • Chokeberry leaves

Some lovely rosehips on the dog rose.

  • Rosehips

And will this be (sorry somewhat blurred) the final bumblebee this year?

  • Common carder bee

Thanks to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday.

Lens-Artists Challenge #169 – The Ordinary

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Ordinary is a funny word – because if you think about it there is not much ordinary out there. And life itself is pretty extraordinary.

A crow in a leafless tree can seem pretty ordinary, but I still find the image pleasing.

A dying piece of tree, can still be beautiful.

The boat above looks like a pretty ordinary fishing boat, but add a bit of sunshine and water and this is the result.

As many have already said, as photographers we get to see that extra something in the ordinary.

Six on Saturday – 9th October 2021

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Finally some respite from the rain. Temperatures though remain exceptionally mild for October. Thank you to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday.

First this week a Hawthorn shieldbug – not that well camouflaged against the reddening leaves.

  • Hawthorn shieldbug

We are still getting some autumn raspberries – though the wet weather of the last three days has made them pretty squishy. Maybe able to harvest a few more this weekend as weather dries up a bit.

  • Raspberries

Not such good crop from the apples this year, and those few that are there, are being attacked by birds. Picked six good ones from the Pixie apple though.

  • Pixie apple
  • Pixie apple

Some hazel nuts too.

  • Hazel nut

There hasn’t been great germination of the winter lettuce.

  • Lettuce

But I am holding out for these brussels spouts to fill out for Christmas!

  • Brussel sprouts

Lens-Artists Challenge #168 – Seen Better Days

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There is still beauty in things that have seen better days. I liked Tina’s monochrome images so decided to follow her example.

Here an old fence post slowly returning to nature.

  • Old post

An old boat that has probably not been used for some time.

  • Old boat

And finally the detail of an old cottage window.

  • Window