Ouch Ouch Ouch!

We have been exploring in the Stinging Nettles today.

We were looking for a companion for Treacle and we had a singular lack of success.

Stinging nettles are probably not my favourite wild flower. They are very nice and important to wild life but yes, you have guessed right, it’s the pain thing.

Urtica dioca

So let’s start with the Small Tortoiseshell. We found hundreds of them.

But these are all overly small Small Tortoiseshells, early instars. They move around the nettles as they grow and keeping them supplied with fresh nettles and cleaning up the old ones (without throwing the baby out with the bathwater)would be a nightmare.

I am just not ready for that kind of commitment. When these reach their fifth instar they will split up and go off alone to find somewhere to pupate and that is when we shall try to catch them.

Now as quick as I can, I just want to show you some of the wonderful things that we saw while we were getting stung.

This lovely Common Carder Bumblebee on Bush Vetch didn’t sting us.

This is a Green Veined White drinking from Creeping Buttercup.

Some wildflowers:

Herb Robert.

Herb Bennet or Wood Avens.

Herb Fizz.

Cut-leaved Crane’s-bill.

“Knots in May” The lovely blossom of the May Tree (Hawthorn) Back to insects and this is the invasive Harlequin Ladybird.

This is one of our threatened native species, the very pretty little seven spot.

Last one for tonight. I took lots of pictures of this little beetle and it will probably get it’s own post soon. This is the Red-headed Cardinal.

And that has got to be it for tonight because I am sleepy.