Merlin Harp

I'm never happier than when painting birds (especially brids of prey).
So when a customer asked for a Merlin on her soundboard I was delighted to oblige!

Ushering in Spring?

Today I saw my first 'macro' moths of 2013. This is the rather romantically named Spring Usher
(I love the very rounded wing tips of this species). I also know that this is a male - how do I know?
Easy, he has wings - yes the female has no wings to speak of and so is flightless;
so she climbs a litlle way up a tree trunk, emits a pheromone and sits there waiting for him to come to her.

Here is the scene today (perhaps you can just see the roof of our workshop left of the nearest Oak).
Even though the snow has now melted, we are still very much in Winter and Spring is a way off yet.

Although I said that I liked the rounded wings of the Spring Usher, I was very pleased to see the pointed
wing-corners of this moth which helped me identify it as a Dark Chestnut (rather than the commoner Chestnut Moth).



Lunch-time today I was also keen to see if I could find any flowers and I was rewarded with three types.
No.1 The humble, but no less lovely Daisy.

No.2 Hazel flowers. These trees have male and female flowers -
the catkins are the male flowers, I couldn't yet see any of the tiny female flowers.

They start to produce their flowers even before the leaves appear.

Every year is different. This time last year this pond was virtually dry
but today it is overflowing!

Last but not least my flower no.3 The Primrose or 'prima rosa' - the first rose.
Roll on Spring and many more flowers and moths of course!