dragonfly

This guy was unusually placid when I found him yesterday, the day was wet and humid so maybe he was just a bit dozey. Turns out it's probably Libellula quadrimaculata, the Four Spotted Chaser.

Libellula quadrimaculata

late summer insects

The warm summer has meant an abundance of insects in the garden including these colourful ones;

Ruddy Darter ? Sympetrum sanguineum

Peacock Butterfly, Inchis io

Large arder Bumblebee Bombus muscurum

thanks to this website for help identifying them http://www.museum.ie/en/collection/irish-insects.aspx

brigit's garden, connemara

Brigit's Garden is located near Rosscahill in Connemara. It features a celtic garden & nature walk. The celtic garden is divided into spring, summer, autumn & winter themed gardens; imbolc, bealtaine, lughnasa & samhain. It has an emphasis on native plants and plants with celtic symbolism.

samhain

imbolc

imbolc

imbolc

imbolc

st bridget's cross

roundhouse

bealtaine

bealtaine

bealtaine

lughnasa

bealtaine

busy insects

bumblebee on self-seeded green manure phacelia tanacetifolia

ladybird on comfrey

spider

Spiders usually catch flies... But I just missed the moment when this one caught a smaller spider which had somehow wandered onto the wrong web. Faster than I could click she raced out and wrapped the unfortunate stray and parcelled her up for supper.

devil's coachman

I came across this guy in the glasshouse today. It looks nasty and apparently can give a nasty bite. It is known as the deargadaol in Irish, literally the devil's beast, and it looks the part.

dragonfly

Last week we had some sunshine and I saw a few of these. Ran to get the camera and this obliging fella allowed me take some snaps;

When I disturbed it, it just kept coming back to the same place.

Even though the pics are darkish, there was some good sunshine.

I've seen a larger bright blue one go by a few times, but it's much more elusive.

bumblebees

Working in the glasshouse I was in the company several industrious bumblebees busy doing what they do best...

feeding on some flowering thyme

on a dahlia

approaching a lupin