October insects

[Catherine]

Now most Crane Flies have gone, here are three October insects who stay locally - and their homes - all so different!

First - The Ivy Bees (Colletes hederae) have returned to their burrows in the sandy layer at Fisherman's Walk

Second - A Harlequin Ladybird shows up in the Pitstop, where they frequently spend winter before emerging again in spring.

Third - The large dark Grasshopper which jumped out of the trough as I watered it the other day!

[rolf]

Sorry Catherine, not sure why I missed these, nice photos, also the pitstop is looking very comfortable.

[Catherine]

Thanks, Rolf!

Pitstop roof has sprung a leak, so need to get it fixed before winter sets in - as that's where all the garden furniture and bird food are stored then!

[rolf]

Oh dear, roof looks pretty good, is it on one of the joins?

[Catherine]

Looks as if it is under the finials, or the wood strip that supports them.

Got someone coming to fix those, a leaking roof gutter* and some uneven slabs soon.

These are jobs Glen would normally do as I can't, but I need to make sure they are done properly!

(By the way, have never called those 'roof gutters' before moving here. They are called 'rhones' in Scotland. I understood gutters only to be at the edge of roads where water is channelled into drains! Another time we had to relearn e very day language - like 'fish suppers' being 'fish and chips' down here, and 'grocery messages' being called 'shopping'. The term 'shopping' usually refers to clothes and larger items up north, meaning a laborious traipse around shops!)

[rolf]

Strange isn't it, we share the same relatively small island, but have some very significant differences in language.