Leaf Hopper 5JPG
Leaf hoppers are a hard to identify and there are 250 species of them in the UK so I am going to find it hard to put a name to this one. But I have to say that when you have a really good look at them they are fascinating. The one here is only about 1.5mm long and very hard to get a good photo of….. don't I say that about most things?

Leafhopper3
If this little bug doesn't look like the inspiration for ET then I don't know what does. And below he looks like dangerMouse in a cape!Leaf hopper 2
Leafhoppers can be pests in agriculture but in a normal garden I can't imagine that they would do much harm. They suck the sap from plants so if there was a large infestation I am sure that there would be a big impact. Regardless of that I am pleased to see them when I do because they are interesting and make good macro photo subjects.

A few English Flowers

Daisy
Late evening saw me on my way to Escot near Ottery St Mary. I wanted to have a look to see if the Little Grebe noticed on a previous trip was showing. It was a really dreadful night, the cloud was so low that it blanketed everything in a foggy, damp haze but it wa s still strangely warm. Anyway I persevered because it was just a look at what was showing. Lots of bird calls/songs and I heard Blackcap.Greenfinch,Green Woodpecker, Wren, Chiffchaff and Long Tailed Tit. The conditions were absolutely appalling for photography and I sat in the hide for 30 minutes in the hope that the Little Grebe, if still present would come out and show him/her self, but no! I decided to experiment with the new lens and flash a nd took a few hand held shots to see what I could come up with and I have posted a few here for the record. The first is an Ox Eye daisy, one of my favourite plants.

Dog Rose
Dog Rose
This is a Dog Rose, and once the flower has died off a big fat Rose Hip will take it's place. If you are not from the UK,I can assure you that this is a truly wild English Rose, something that we take for granted, but part of the history and folklore of the country.

Clover
Clover
This is Clover, typically English but overlooked by most. Fields are deliberately seeded with clover because cattle that graze on it give good quality milk.
Ragged Robin?

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