#436 Iridescent green beetle and flowers

The eucalyptuses at look out corner were blooming so I took the opportunity to snap a few of their beautiful and unusual flowers.

This handsome little iridescent green beetle climbed up the wall behind my bed this evening when I lay down for a rest. Its appearance like that was a little disconcerting esp. since a minute later he wasn't on the wall, he was on the bed. At this point I decided we'd both be better off if it was removed to the garden with a visit to the photographer, husband in this case, on the way. He is rather handsome though, not sure what species exactly. I think it's one of genus Trichodes, family Cleridae. You never know when you'll get a photo op!

Polygonum equisetiforme, horsetail knotweed. Flowers vary, shades of pink, yellow or white. Blooming by verges of roads most of the summer. Pic magnified 3-4 x life size.

A common yellow umbellifer blooming in open areas now, particularly in the lower north east part of gazelle field. Below, zoom of one of the flowerheads above.

Birds today: Pretty much as yesterday for the most part.
House sparrow, white spectacled bulbul, sunbird, laughing dove in/around garden
Feral pigeons, Jackdaws and Hooded crows busy about the general area.
1 white stork seen flying south low over canopy toward south.
Collared doves and turtle doves in the woods generally, cooing, active.
Up at the north end of gazelle field watched two great spotted cuckoos fly by.. good sighting since we hadn't heard them properly in a while and the boys had not had such good views of them. Greenfinches were chawing away, blackbirds heard in song, graceful warblers also vocal and active. A few Bee-eaters hawking above the cistern, just above canopy level, swifts over valley road and east valley screaming as it was getting dark. Husband glimpsed black eared wheatear on the hillside and we both heard their calls, also from the fence.
As I sit here I've been hearing the calls of stone curlews from the valley, they've very vocal and it's after midnight.

We were hoping to see the fox family but not in view today, nor any gazelle or hyrax.

I wanted to check lower part of east gazelle field watercourse to see if any more snapdragons were down there but none. The plant we had photographed was blooming gloriously and I also showed and quizzed the boys about other vegetation, the plentiful blue scabious types, yellow centauries, and fennel like plants growing and blooming now.

Weather: range today 10-18.5 degrees C, time of walk, just after 6 p.m. 15 degrees C and falling fast, humidity 70%, westerlies, 6-10 kt driving wide bands of cloud across the sky.