As we spent the day clearing out the pond we opened up the summerhouse alongside it so that we could periodically collapse into its comfy seats and enjoy our tea breaks. While sat there our eyes were drawn to the lacewings already hibernating on the wooden framework. They were almost invisible with their delicate green bodies and translucent wings set against the cream painted woodwork. It is good to see them as they are central to our natural pest control, their larvae being voracious aphid eaters.
Similarly camouflaged against the cream woodwork a pupa of a butterfly hung vertically – gentle yellow but almost white with small black dots. I don’t know what butterfly it will turn into in the spring but it is usually Small Tortoiseshells that emerge from our garden buildings. I just hope I am not looking forwards to a Cabbage White!!
On the roof the third of our hibernating shed lodgers hang stuck fast to the ceiling. A clump of spider’s eggs has been stuck to the woodwork with a sticky version of webbing. Spiders of course we like in the garden as predators and as master builders of webs. As we await the first frosts of this autumn we anticipate the beauty of the spiders’ spinnings when they are highlighted by frost under the spotlights of the early morning sunlight.
greenbenchramblings 