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| This month's images - July 2018 |
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 A Field Grasshopper, Alwins Field allotments, 20 July 2018. He is well camouflaged against the parched bare earth. |
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 A surprise visitor to our garden, Alwins Field, was this female Purple Hairstreak butterfly, 18 July 2018. Purple Hairstreaks are widespread and fairly common but you hardly ever get to see them because they live at the top of tall oak trees and hardly ever come down. They don't often fly, either, they prefer to walk from leaf to leaf and can live out their whole lives on one tree. |
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 One of the Robins busy feeding their third brood this year, and looking a bit frazzled, Alwins Field garden, 17 July 2018. |
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 A male Common Blue butterfly in Linslade Woods, 11 July 2018. |
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 Common Tern over the canal at Grove Church, 10 July 2018. |
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 The Black-headed Gull is mis-named, as the chocolate brown head visible in this photo proves. Grove Church, 10 July 2018. |
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 Teasel heads in Linslade Woods, 9 July 2018. |
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 A Meadow Grasshopper in the orchard at Astral Park, 8 July 2018. |
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 A male Emperor Dragonfly on the pond in Astral Park, 8 July 2018. |
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 A female Emperor Dragonfly ovipositing in the lake at Pratt's Quarry on 8 July 2018. |
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 A Black-tailed Skimmer on the Lake at Pratt's Quarry, 8 July 2018. |
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 A Silver-washed Fritillary butterfly in King's Wood, Heath and Reach on 5 July 2018. The "silver wash" can be seen on the underside of the hind wing in this photo. The Silver-washed Fritillary is one of our largest and most powerful flyers. This male was contesting his territory with many other butterflies (comma, skipper, ringlet, etc) in King's Wood. |
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 A Gatekeeper butterfly in Linslade Woods, 4 July 2018. |
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 A close-up view of a Ruddy Darter dragonfly showing its huge eyes. Photo taken at Ledburn Pit, 3 July 2018. |
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 A Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly at Ledburn Pit on 3 July 2018. This one is unusual in that it has extra spots on its wings - it is a recognised variant called "praenubila". |
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 A young Coot trying to eat something it should not have picked up. Tiddenfoot WP, 3 July 2018. |
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 A Feral Pigeon in our garden, Alwins Field, 2 July 2018. Some of the pigeons have learned how to take seeds from this big feeder that has a perching ring around the base. They flap a lot while hanging on, but they get a lot of food. |
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 One of four juvenile Magpies that are currently visiting our garden and exploring, just like a gang of naughty boys. Alwins Field, 2 July 2018. |
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