Plentiful rain and a shortage of summer sun have provided perfect munching conditions for these slimy creatures; they obviously enjoy this weather much more than most people do. Their numbers have increased rapidly lately.

Here is one photo of a slug in the Netherlands and one slug enjoying some courgettes in Scotland





(The loss or reduction of the shell is a characterisc for the Slug. This in contrary to Snails who have a prominent coiled shell)

The Ink cap (Coprinus comatus), is a common fungus often seen growing on lawns, along gravel roads and waste areas. The Ink cap is recognizable from its cap which initially covers almost the whole of its stem (left picture)



Then the bell-shaped caps open out. The caps are white, and covered with scales. The gills beneath the cap are white, then pink, then turn black and secrete a black liquid filled with spores (hence the "ink cap" name) (right picture).

When young it is an excellent edible mushroom provided that, after being collected, it is eaten soon. Never tried it ourselves though. It is said that when you use alcohol with this mushroom it gets poisoned. So…… be careful.

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?