Mellow fruitfulness

 This early autumn sunshine is beautiful is it not? I can't get over how wonderful the days have been in the past week or so. We've been out and about walking the beaches and noticing the change of the seasons as the sun gets lower  but nowhere is the change more evident at the moment than in my garden. After five months and two broods our resident swallows decamped for Africa on Sunday, always a sign that autumn is upon us. I'm watching seedheads and seedpods develop and ripen, already offering treats for goldfinches and chiffchaffs. The blackbirds, having eaten our plum crop this summer are now enjoying the autumn raspberries and it's a daily race to see whether we can pick them before they do. Of course we could net everything with a fruit cage but where's the fun in that?

The fig tree is overburdened and I may have already mentioned that neither my husband or I like them, so we've been picking them for a queue of friends but  losing the battle for some as they are ripening faster than we can gather them. Consequently the tree is festooned in butterflies feasting on the rotting figs and they flop about, drunk on the nectar. After a dearth of butterflies this summer in the wet conditions, we are all of a sudden overwhelmed by the number of them. I'm sure we're not alone and wonder if anyone else has noticed the same?

 There are loads of Red Admirals and Speckled Wood butterflies around and today, I caught the two Comma's (above) absorbing the heat on the wall by my kitchen window. We don't see lots of Commas so to see two was very special.

 Similarly it was special to notice a pair of goldcrests enjoying the hawthorn tree outside of the conservatory this morning. Having just photographed the butterflies I was glad I had the camera to hand but they were flitting about so quickly that the photo below was the best I could get - all very hazy and not exactly clear -

 - so it was an unhappy experience to then hear a thud as a bird flew into the conservatory window a few minutes later. When I looked out and saw the tiny goldcrest stunned on the windowsill my heart sank but we did what you're always told to do, and that's nothing. Leave well alone and let nature prevail.

Well, he/she looks a bit sad here but I can report that after about half an hour it was well enough to fly off but I thought it was touch and go for a while. The little things supposedly weigh no more than a one pence piece and are our smallest bird in the UK along with the firecrest. People often think the smallest bird is the wren but we have plenty of those around too at present and, although they are tiny, they are definitely bigger than the goldcrest.
Although the days are warm, the nights are cold so there are nowhere near as many moths around as butterflies. We have the moth trap set up for tonight to see what is on the wing.It has also been an odd year for moths so I am looking forward to seeing what we find as well as enjoying the daytime treats for a few more days yet.