Ed Otto
@willowbere.bsky.social
An old Devonian (living in Devon, England, not 400 million years old). Tends 5 acres of land for wildlife, not doing much to it except watching, listening, cutting paths, taking pictures and recording bats.
After so many posts about Ivy Bees I went down to an ivy mass in the garden, and it was rich with Ivy Bees and many others + 2 Red Admirals, a Speckled Wood, German Wasps and a European Hornet. I've now checked out Dancing with Bees by brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social for info on how they live.
October 5, 2026 at 4:36 PM
After so many posts about Ivy Bees I went down to an ivy mass in the garden, and it was rich with Ivy Bees and many others + 2 Red Admirals, a Speckled Wood, German Wasps and a European Hornet. I've now checked out Dancing with Bees by brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social for info on how they live.
Found a foreigner in our loft! Took a photo before it crept away: it's a Western Conifer Seed Bug, originally from N. America and first seen in England in a classroom not 50 miles from here. Fortunately it hibernates in houses, it doesn't eat them.
October 4, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Found a foreigner in our loft! Took a photo before it crept away: it's a Western Conifer Seed Bug, originally from N. America and first seen in England in a classroom not 50 miles from here. Fortunately it hibernates in houses, it doesn't eat them.
The first & last Emperor? After defying my attempts to video it for months it was more generous today. Soon it will be a distant memory and we'll be waiting for the dragons to return in half a year or so.
October 2, 2026 at 8:09 PM
The first & last Emperor? After defying my attempts to video it for months it was more generous today. Soon it will be a distant memory and we'll be waiting for the dragons to return in half a year or so.
Delighted to spot my first Brown Hairstreak butterfly in a hedge at the bottom of our garden. In winds gusting to over 30mph it posed for several minutes for photos. Then on the same area of blackthorn I saw a tiny white dot and persuaded my camera to get a close-up of the egg.
September 30, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Delighted to spot my first Brown Hairstreak butterfly in a hedge at the bottom of our garden. In winds gusting to over 30mph it posed for several minutes for photos. Then on the same area of blackthorn I saw a tiny white dot and persuaded my camera to get a close-up of the egg.
I tried collecting some seeds from Viper's Bugloss this afternoon - ouch! There's a brilliant series of pictures by Brian Johnston that zoom from the flowers right down to tiny parts visible only with a microscope. It's at www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjul08.... My picture below.
September 29, 2026 at 3:51 PM
I tried collecting some seeds from Viper's Bugloss this afternoon - ouch! There's a brilliant series of pictures by Brian Johnston that zoom from the flowers right down to tiny parts visible only with a microscope. It's at www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjul08.... My picture below.
Eventually the goldfinches get bored with the sunflower hearts we put out for them and move on to teasels.
September 29, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Eventually the goldfinches get bored with the sunflower hearts we put out for them and move on to teasels.
It's thirsty work being a hornet.
September 26, 2026 at 2:46 PM
It's thirsty work being a hornet.
My mower-shed hornets are still busy, so soon it will be no-mow October!
September 26, 2026 at 2:41 PM
My mower-shed hornets are still busy, so soon it will be no-mow October!
Visited our parched meadow-on-the-hill yesterday and was surprised by the insect life, including numerous butterflies despite just a few flowers being left. Clouded Yellow, Small Copper, Common Blue, Wasp Spider egg-sac, Unknown1, probably 5-spot Burnet Moth pupa, Unknown2 (also 100s grasshoppers).
September 25, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Visited our parched meadow-on-the-hill yesterday and was surprised by the insect life, including numerous butterflies despite just a few flowers being left. Clouded Yellow, Small Copper, Common Blue, Wasp Spider egg-sac, Unknown1, probably 5-spot Burnet Moth pupa, Unknown2 (also 100s grasshoppers).
For weeks Emperor Dragonflies have been flying around our grounds at ridiculous speeds. I tried to get a video or at least some decent stills of one. 2 days ago I saw one stationary long enough to get one picture. Maybe I should forget dragons and and try rocks.
September 24, 2026 at 8:30 PM
For weeks Emperor Dragonflies have been flying around our grounds at ridiculous speeds. I tried to get a video or at least some decent stills of one. 2 days ago I saw one stationary long enough to get one picture. Maybe I should forget dragons and and try rocks.
The dragons were still active today. This Common Darter seems to glide for about 1/6th of a second. Until I started videoing, a pair were dropping eggs into the pond.
September 22, 2026 at 7:35 PM
The dragons were still active today. This Common Darter seems to glide for about 1/6th of a second. Until I started videoing, a pair were dropping eggs into the pond.
There's a truffle fly in my crumblecap (or, maybe, a Suillia variegata in my Candolleomyces candolleanus).
September 20, 2026 at 11:48 AM
There's a truffle fly in my crumblecap (or, maybe, a Suillia variegata in my Candolleomyces candolleanus).
This morning: an 'unsightly' patch of wildflowers outside our house...but wait, if you look carefully you can spy three goldfinches taking seeds.
September 19, 2026 at 7:07 PM
This morning: an 'unsightly' patch of wildflowers outside our house...but wait, if you look carefully you can spy three goldfinches taking seeds.
When a young goldfinch takes off, how many wing-beats does it average per second? Count the number per second in this video and multiply by 40.
September 18, 2026 at 3:43 PM
When a young goldfinch takes off, how many wing-beats does it average per second? Count the number per second in this video and multiply by 40.
Yesterday morning our meadow-on-the-hill had Clouded Yellows flying around everywhere in the warm, screaming wind. When I took a video with my very expensive camera to show this, most of the butterflies stopped flying.
September 16, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Yesterday morning our meadow-on-the-hill had Clouded Yellows flying around everywhere in the warm, screaming wind. When I took a video with my very expensive camera to show this, most of the butterflies stopped flying.
It's been a waspish year.
September 12, 2026 at 9:20 PM
It's been a waspish year.
Flowering Tansy is popular with various flies,
just one bee and a Holly Blue butterfly. If they wait for a few more days the flies will be able to enjoy the tansy smell that makes us want to pull it up and take it far away.
just one bee and a Holly Blue butterfly. If they wait for a few more days the flies will be able to enjoy the tansy smell that makes us want to pull it up and take it far away.
September 5, 2026 at 8:56 PM
Flowering Tansy is popular with various flies,
just one bee and a Holly Blue butterfly. If they wait for a few more days the flies will be able to enjoy the tansy smell that makes us want to pull it up and take it far away.
just one bee and a Holly Blue butterfly. If they wait for a few more days the flies will be able to enjoy the tansy smell that makes us want to pull it up and take it far away.
Tiny fly advances on a resting Common Darter dragonfly. Lots of these darters around our house today.
September 5, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Tiny fly advances on a resting Common Darter dragonfly. Lots of these darters around our house today.
This year we've mostly heard them and not seen them, but today we saw a baby Green Woodpecker in the orchard. Why do the best birds show-up when we're trying to have breakfast?
September 1, 2026 at 9:08 PM
This year we've mostly heard them and not seen them, but today we saw a baby Green Woodpecker in the orchard. Why do the best birds show-up when we're trying to have breakfast?
Yesterday we went for a walk and around sunset found ourselves in a remote patch of land where my wife saw 3 hares before they noticed us. I had to use the camera up to 25x zoom before I could see much. She can scan a vista in less than a second and spot anything interesting. I can't.
August 28, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Yesterday we went for a walk and around sunset found ourselves in a remote patch of land where my wife saw 3 hares before they noticed us. I had to use the camera up to 25x zoom before I could see much. She can scan a vista in less than a second and spot anything interesting. I can't.
The best year for swallows here for years. The 4 youngsters raised in the Martin's nest have now joined the adults. It's pleasing to walk outside the front door and look up to see hundreds of swallows feeding high above the Lombardy Poplars, but hard to make a decent video of them.
August 27, 2026 at 10:18 AM
The best year for swallows here for years. The 4 youngsters raised in the Martin's nest have now joined the adults. It's pleasing to walk outside the front door and look up to see hundreds of swallows feeding high above the Lombardy Poplars, but hard to make a decent video of them.
A few days ago: my wife, instead of concentrating on the task in hand (walking back into the house) got her phone into slomo video mode and captured a few seconds of this Elephant Hawk Moth supping from Viper's Bugloss flowers.
August 27, 2026 at 9:46 AM
A few days ago: my wife, instead of concentrating on the task in hand (walking back into the house) got her phone into slomo video mode and captured a few seconds of this Elephant Hawk Moth supping from Viper's Bugloss flowers.
A few days ago the baby swallows left their House Martin nest to practise balancing on our power supply.
August 21, 2026 at 9:01 PM
A few days ago the baby swallows left their House Martin nest to practise balancing on our power supply.
Checked-out our meadow on the hill today: bright sun, screaming wind, most plants desiccated after 2 months of drought, but Yarrow still flowering everywhere. Signs of Hares, thousands of hoppers flying up at each step, several Clouded Yellows, Holly Blues, Common Blues and Bluebell remains.
August 19, 2026 at 9:09 PM
Checked-out our meadow on the hill today: bright sun, screaming wind, most plants desiccated after 2 months of drought, but Yarrow still flowering everywhere. Signs of Hares, thousands of hoppers flying up at each step, several Clouded Yellows, Holly Blues, Common Blues and Bluebell remains.
Last year the mistle thrushes nested in our poplar tree and raised 2 young. Early this year they returned and we were confident...but in late March they disappeared, returning last week to 'their' poplar tree, looking rather haughty I thought.
August 17, 2026 at 10:48 AM
Last year the mistle thrushes nested in our poplar tree and raised 2 young. Early this year they returned and we were confident...but in late March they disappeared, returning last week to 'their' poplar tree, looking rather haughty I thought.