Daddy Long Legs

The crane fly (Tipulidae) - also known in the UK as the "daddy long legs"- is an insect I associate with the month of September. They are often seen during this month and during my working years there was a period when they regularly tripped the alarm of the building in which I worked. The engineer who was eventually called in to remedy the issue memorably said they must have been flying in formation. Why? Because a single crane fly passing through the beam would not trip it, but two within a short period would. This example was one of several on the door and windows at the front of our house one day.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Mint moth

As I cast about the oregano flowers with my macro lens, looking for bees, I came upon a small (very small) moth that I don't recall ever seeing before. It was about half the size of my small finger-nail, mainly dark purplish red with yellow spots, and appeared to be a mint moth. This moth, as its name suggests, often uses mint as a food plant. In our garden, which has no mint, it seemed to like the oregano. But then that's true of many insects.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10