Tuesday, 22 July 2025

INSECTS AND FLOWERS:

Some nature shots taken in my garden. This month has been unbearably hot, the searing heat making it difficult to breath. These photos were taken early morning, and at 11am I close the wooden shutters to try to keep the bedroom from overheating, but as the temperature rises the panes of glass and wooden shutters  which are inside the bedroom become too hot to touch and radiate heat right back into the room.We were under the impression that stone houses keep the house cool in summer and warm in winter, but nothing could be further than the truth. We do not have air conditioning but use fans to cool the air, where ever they are needed most. After the birds have eaten they disappear into the shade of the trees only to emerge on my balcony later in the evening, Only the flies and insects of the insect realm appear to enjoy the hot temperatures.

 

The Speckled Wood.

Bumble bee on French Lavender




Banded Bush Beetle  Trichius  fasciatus on Hawthorn flowers.








Marsh Fritillary


Same as above.





Dimorphotheca ecklonis daisy flower





Female Broad Bodied Libellula


Same as above. The males have grey blue bodies


Side view of  Wall Brown butterfly.


Crap Spider on clover.


Black - eyed Blue butterfly


same as above


Climbing Rose vine



Unknown Fly.


Two planters with Begonias on my balcony.





Spirea bush





Meadow Brown butterfly.


same as above.








I will be linking to "Saturday's Critters" on Eileen's blog where you will find many different animals.
Click on the side bar on the icon and it will take you there, and you can join in the party.

28 comments:

Marie Smith said...

Such beautiful detail captured on the spiders and insects. Amazing if we but stop to look.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Staggeringly beautiful pictures, Sonjia. My daughter and son-in-law, somewhat foolishly perhaps, vacationed in Portugal several years ago in July, and the weather was so hot it curtailed many of their planned activities. They had rented a house that had a pool and spent a good deal of time there. They would get up early and go for a walk, but much after 10:00 am it was too hot most days to do much of anything else. Sadly, the summer heat is only going to get worse as we pay the price for messing with the biosphere. Stay cool as best you can. Summer too will end! Hugs and kisses - David

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

Absolutely gorgeous photos.

sami niilola said...

Insects are interesting and wonderful.

Debbie said...

it has been very hot and humid here as well, making many outdoor activities difficult. you are very lucky, i am also, to have a beautiful garden we can spend a few minutes in. to enjoy, to photograph and to spend time surrounded around such beauty. i have released 17 butterflies this season and have about 10 still feeding on dill as caterpillars. soon they will form into chrysalis. gorgeous images!!

Angie's Recipes said...

These are some really wonderful macro shots, Sonjia. How come so hot there? The weather over here is horrible..15-22C, mostly cloudy and rainy..

Marit said...

Dear Sonjia :)
As always, you show so many beautiful photos. The first butterfly is so beautiful, and the other insects are also so nice. I think your pink begonias is so pretty. I like begonias very much. I bought a begonia tuber in the spring that was supposed to be pink, but today it started to bloom and it was completely orange. That's how it can be :)
I hope the temperature will be lower where you are.
I send you lots of hugs!
Marit

roentare said...

Such a dazzling display of colours and nature

Michelle said...

You have captured the detail very well on these creatures. Please stay cool during this heat.

Lowcarb team member said...

Here in the UK we have also experienced some hot weather but I know parts of Europe including Portugal have also experienced such HIGH HOT (too hot) temperatures too. We need rain and cooler temperatures (but not flooding!)

On a positive note, dear Sonjia, your photographs are just BEAUTIFUL and what an amazing collection.
A fabulous post.
Keep well and keep as cool as you can.

All the best Jan

Irma said...

Dear Sonjia,
What a beautiful series of photos you've taken.
Photos 11, 24, and 26 are my favorites.
It's so intense when it's this hot you can hardly do anything during the day.
Here we have a mix of warm days and cooler weather.
This week it's only 22 degrees Celsius, but we've also had days of 33 degrees Celsius.
I hate summer; for me with asthma, it's no fun.
I hope the temperatures drop a bit for you.
I wish you a pleasant Wednesday.
Best regards Irma

Bill said...

Beautiful captures of these little creatures. The butterflies are gorgeous.

LoveT. said...


These are beautiful shots, very detailed.

Jeanie said...

I'm sorry the summer has been so exceptionally warm. It certainly hasn't stopped the flowers from looking their loveliest nor the insects from finding them. As always, your photos are exquisite with remarkable detail. I hope you get a bit of a temp break soon.

Stewart M said...

The diversity of insects (and spiders!) is a wonder to behold!
Cheers - Stewart M, Launceston, Tasmania

Tom said...

...Sonjia, your post takes me back to my entomology class in college. Butterflies few and far beyond for us this year, but I keep hoping. Take care and stay cool, it's a hot summer here too.

John's Island said...

Petals tremble under insect wings—
a gentle hum beneath sunlit crowns,
where bees dip into corollas of gold and pink,
and butterflies drift in colored whispers.

In every bloom, a hidden ballet unfolds:
pollen caught on tiny legs,
nectar exchanged for life—
a pulsing duet between color and creature.

You’ve painted a world where insects tread softly
upon floral stages,
their silent footsteps turning blossoms into song—
a nature‑woven poem blooming between petals.

Thank you, Sonjia, for sharing this vibrant moment of gardens alive with wings.

John 😊

an artist reflects said...

Wow! Gorgeous nature photos ~ thanks,

an artist reflects

Penelope Notes said...

Beautifully shot. These are amazingly clear photos, especially the translucent dragonfly wings.

RedPat said...

You got great pics of all those creatures, Sonjia.
Try to stay cool.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

The purple center of the daisy flower sure is pretty. I always think of yellow but this one is gorgeous. And I love the close ups of the flies and insects. Stay cool under some fans. I grew up without air conditioning but I wouldn't like it now this far south!

eileeninmd said...

Hello Sonjia,
Beautiful collection of nature photos. The flowers are all gorgeous. Great captures of the insects, the butterflies are favorites.
Thank you for linking up and sharing your critter post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

Nick Morgan said...

It is lovely to see the abundance of flowers and insects in your beautiful garden. At least everything seems to be surviving the heat there.
It is worrying how everywhere seems to be so hot at the moment across the world. I feel lucky to be in Scotland, where we have had wonderful weather this year, but not as hot as in England and certainly not as hot as much of Europe and Scandinavia.
We used to have a house in the Camargue, South of France, with very thick stone walls. It worked very well at keeping the house cool in summer, along with the wooden shutters. However, maybe such buildings were fine as the climate was then, but just can't cope with our warming climate. Or, maybe we are getting too used to air conditioning!!

Shiju Sugunan said...

This is a beautiful post! The photos of insects and flowers are stunning.

Mae Travels said...

I experienced the Mediterranean heat wave last week, but fortunately, the ship on which we traveled had very effective A/C. Good luck both short term and long term. They say it will be worse!

Noke said...

Schön diese Nahaufnahmen aus dem Garten. An den Abenden werden viele Vögel aktiv.
Gruß
Noke

Teresa said...

Has hecho unas fotografías muy bonitas, me encanta fotografiar insectos y flores. También hemos tenido mucho calor por aquí, y queda mucho todavía. Te dejo abrazos.

DeniseinVA said...

Thank you so much! It is lovely to see your beautiful flowers and their little visitors.

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