Well.... the title of this entry is obvious.

The Heath Spotted Orchid's (to be precise the Dactylorhiza maculata) flowering period is from late May to early August.

It will grow in well-drained habitats such as grassland, moors and heaths, from sea-level to 900m. This photo was taken at Glen Cannich, Scotland.

Just today an article appeared in the newspaper that the hoverfly (= "zweefvlieg" in Dutch) is becoming an endangered species in The Netherlands. Due to intensified farming and dehydration (would you believe that with all the rain which momentarily causes all kinds of floods?) their numbers are going down quickly.

The hoverfly is not that familiar with people. The hoverfly looks a bit like a wasp, but there are some differences. For instance the hoverfly does not sting and their body is not curved. It looks as if they hover but that is not correct. They just move their wings very fast, about 300 times per second.

Here is a nice picture of the Hoverfly which we just received last week from Clan MacMoose. What a coincidence, don’t you think?

This is the first contribution of our co-author, Clan MacMoose, who is located in Scotland and runs a terrific B&B (Homefarm, Muir of Ord).

This photo shows you "Loch Na Crann" and its tranquility. The Loch is well clothed with waterlilies.