A Sting In The Tale

As I sit here nursing a swollen and throbbing digit I’m trying to remind myself that not everything in nature is a nasty, aggressive little piece of shite! I’m talking about wood wasps of which there are many and varied types. All of them, in my opinion, serve vitally useful functions and have their place in the grand scheme of things which does not happen to include inside any place I happen to be! J calls my passion for ‘getting’ them obsessive-compulsive behavior, I call it pay-back time for the bugger that thought my bed was a good place to rest up!

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Vespula vulgaris – aka ‘Nasty Little Shite

Anyway, some of you will know that my well-worn knee joints have curtailed my walking this past year and a half. Lately the creaking and grinding has been less pronounced (I recommend juniper oil for lubrication) so it seemed like a great idea to join J on one of her country jaunts. She kindly agreed to travel at the pace of my knees and I also wanted to catch up on my ‘wandering about’ photography.

What follows is a small selection of what Mother Nature has to offer above 1200 metres:

from our teeming garden pond:

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Crocothemis erythraea – Scarlet Darter (m)
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Libellula depressa -Broad-bodied Chaser (m)
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Libellula depressa – Broad-bodied Chaser (f)
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the lady above newly emerged

and wandering the trackways:

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Melitaea cinxia – Glanville Fritillary
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the incomparable Queen of Spain Fritillary – Issoria lathonia the only representative of the genus here in Turkey
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a ‘kitchen garden’ for bees
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with a surprising find
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heading home with the sunday joint
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looking back
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wind-blown pine flowers decorating an old cone
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Dung Beetles – there are those that take it away and bury it – and then there are those that live in it. I’ve known a few people like that!
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not everyone’s idea of a good job but where would we be without them?

meanwhile, back at the pond:

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Coeangrion ornatum – Ornate Bluet (m)
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for the Coenagrion puella – Azure Bluet Damselfly life goes circling on
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Ischnura elegans – Common Bluetail (m)

So, life is beautiful and full of wonderful nooks, crannies and creatures to smile at and enjoy – apart from politicians, money-changers, haters and those nasty little yellow and black buggers that is – for all of those there’ll be no more jam jars, tissue papers and no more ‘Mister Nice-Guy’!

Alan, up there somewhere!

8 thoughts on “A Sting In The Tale”

  1. Great blog Alan. Fantastic pictures. Glad the knees are feeling a bit better and you are back trecking. I must try the juniper oil if I can find it. Best as always. Mary

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  2. Alan,

    I like to think of all nasty buggers as ‘part of god’s plan’. The photos are awesome. Keep them coming!

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  4. Alan, I’ve been online less and less these days so I don’t keep up on my favorite blogger as I’d like. Sorry to hear the knees are creaky, glad to hear the juniper oil helps, and still gob-smacked by your beautiful place. And OH MY! What a spectacular set of photos to stumble upon on a spring evening! Thanks, and fond regards to you and J. Bobbi

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    1. Lovely to hear from you Bobbi, hope you and yours are well and thriving. We soldier on trying to treat our aches with the contempt they so richly deserve.

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