Cinnabar Moth - June 2019

It was another overcast day for my photo shoot in dad's garden this week, and insect activity seemed to be at an all time low for this time of year.

However, there was at least one treat in store for me!

You may remember that last year I spotted some Cinnabar Moth (Tyria jacobaeae) larvae enjoying a good munch on some Ragwort (Senecio) blooms? Well this is one of the resulting Moths. Aren't they stunning?

Busy Bee - June 2019

Another treat was capturing this Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) collecting pollen from the stunning looking blooms of the Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala) bush.

Dove from Above - June 2019

The lack of insect activity was mirrored by the lack of bird activity. This Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) was one of only a handful of birds I saw taking to the skies.

Goldfinch - June 2019

Even the usually boisterous Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) population were happy to stay sitting in the treetops, only occasionally taking flight to visit the next nearest tree.

Bramble Blossom - June 2019

Thankfully there were plenty of new blooms to photograph this week. The Bramble (Rubus fruticosus) bushes were just starting to produce blossom, and while I'm not a fan of the plant itself, the insects like it, so it has its place in the garden.

Purple Toadflax - June 2019

The Purple Toadflax (Linaria purpurea) had started to send up its long flower stems, which were covered in these pretty little purple flowers.

Pretty Petunia - June 2019

We'd grown some Petunias from seed and were happy to see them doing well in the garden, especially this lovely looking red variety.

California Lilac - June 2019

The California Lilac (Ceanothus) bush was doing well, and had an abundance of these blue flower clusters.

Yellow Rose - June 2019

Rose (Rosa) 'Peace' was producing some wonderfully large yellow blooms this year, and would hopefully go on flowering all through the summer months.

Pink Rose - June 2019

Rose 'Queen Elizabeth' had also begun her flowering season, although didn't seem to have many buds to open.

Firethorn Flowers - June 2019

The Firethorn (Pyracantha) bush blossom was now in full swing, with all flower buds fully open, just waiting for the Bees to come and pollinate them.

Rhododendron Blooms - June 2019

Finally, the last set flowers of the Rhododendron bush were now opening, and would soon be leaving us for another year.

So this week I went with Cinnabar Moth as my Image of the Week simply because I thought it was a stunning looking Moth, with a beauty that rivalled any of the Butterflies...