It was a lovely sunny day so I spent some time in the wood this afternoon. On arrival I was greeted by 2 Buzzards almost directly overhead.

I did wonder if they might swoop down to take some fat that I had placed on my ‘feeding station’ but that was too much to hope for. 

Eventually they zoomed about for a while and then gradually moved off to the west.

I had a wander about and met up with a neighbour who kindly showed me her new pond and it had frog spawn and a pair of matting toads, whilst we were talking I noticed quite a large moth on the side of here house. It is an Oak Beauty and is an early flying moth and lays its eggs on Oak trees. Scientific name is Biston strataria…. so obviously related to the famous Biston betularia or peppered moth.  This moth is know to all biologist as the moth which adapted its colour in polluted areas and changed from a light grey peppery look to become dark and almost black, thus it remained camouflaged when on soot covered trees.

There are a few sallow bushes now in flower and looking quite spectacular in the sunshine.

 

Finally on my way home I stopped in Llandogo and took this photo of the Wye valley.