SQUIRRELS, BUTTERFLIES, and a BLACKBIRD.

This weeks post is an assortment of photos taken on my balcony and in the orchard. Most were captures taken in April but there are a few which were taken this month. 

A few squirrel captures taken recently.

This is a favourite spot for the squirrels to rest in the shade.

It rained continuously in April, and this squirrel got a little wet.

The male "Blackbird".

 

It's smooth mellow tone is melodic, and it's so pleasing to listen to in the early hours of the morning, so different from it's raucous alarm call which almost sounds like it's laughing loudly as it flies away.

It is a very shy bird, and prefers to keep hidden in the bushes.

One morning a very wet and hungry Blackbird came to eat from the plate. It is not a flattering image, but then we wouldn't look our best had we been caught in the rain and hadn't eaten our breakfast.

The orange and tangerine trees are almost bare of fruit, but soon ...

It will be time to pick the sweet cherries from the one cherry tree in  the orchard near my studio where there are Golden Delicious apples.

This huge tree grows in the orchard and If anyone stood underneath 

from where I was standing they would only look 1 centimetre tall, It is magnificently lofty, and it's just always been there. 

This is another mystery. This large plant appeared in the orchard this year. It's pale flowers at first glance look rather insignificant but on closer inspection as you will see in the next photo, they are curiously interesting

With help from my blog friends I now know the ID of this flower.

It is a Solarnum moutitanium 

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I saw large areas of wild strawberries, which grow in the orchard every year, but although I'm tempted to pick some, I leave them for the birds.

"The Small Heath" butterfly was flitting around the edges of the orchard

"The Small Heath" preferred pieces of wood to alight on rather     than  flowers. Nearly all the butterflies I saw were on the ground.         

A Speckled Wood butterfly seen as I was leaving the orchard.

I believe this is another Speckled Wood, but a rather washed out looking butterfly, pausing on a large piece of orange peel seen as I left the orchard, and then I made my way up to the house, a steep climb for me but if I climb slowly stopping occasionally, I get there. 

The Blackbird comes every day to the feeders as it is feeding it's chicks, and takes as much food as will fit in it's beak each time. It is a novelty for me to see a Blackbird, as I only see them at this time of the year, although they are residents they keep to themselves.

I saw this "Red Admiral" near the hedge and was delighted with this discovery.

I think this may be another Speckled Wood seen in the orchard.

This Red Admiral was on the top step of the split level part of the garden, and I was going to walk down the steps when I noticed it was there.

I focused my camera on it without wavering, willing it to open it's wings.and so it did. I expect the warm stone felt good after the rain.

It extended it's wings to the maximum and I took one last photo.