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of the speckled woods. Their flurry of a whirling jig was taking place under the apple tree, and so engrossed were they in each other that I was able to approach to within 30 cm to watch them closely. It was as if the two butterflies were animated poys

appears to be a change in its foodplant preference from the very restricted box tree to hawthorn, apple, honeysuckle and others. We've got a rather straggling honeysuckle trying to grow over one of our fences, but this specimen was on Clematis armandii

down. There are three of four long-tailed tits in next-door-but-one's pear tree. A female blackbird is scavenging for bits of left-over windfall under our apple tree. The squirrels seem thoroughly fed up with it all, and chatter angrily at each other

? Decking. I'm not sure what the received wisdom on decking is, but we have a thoroughfare near the end of the garden between the lawn and a secluded patio. Overshadowed by apple tree and creeper-covered pergola, and trodden underfoot by children stampeding

of flies emerges.Fruit flies (at least two Drosophila species) feature strongly, which is no surprise given the amount of apple cores, banana skins, melon shells and potato peelings we chuck in each week. Although the adult flies are only 2.5mm long

dipping at the over-abundant moths or skimming the tops of the apple tree. There was even time to call the family out from watching the telly, and alert the neighbours.They stayed around for at least 15 minutes. I must admit that I may have encouraged them