Flowers in the Evolution Garden and Waterlily house, plus butterflies and a fox in Kew Gardens - mid July 2025

Gorgeous Day Lily in the Evolution Gardens - it was the first time I had visited this part of Kew Gardens and it was amazing on a sunny July day

Very tall yellow daisy-like flowers

Bee-spotting lesson!

White Poppy

Plums in the kitchen garden

 

and Grapes

Large ladybird on top of one of the posts in the kitchen garden

Large bee in a pink Rose in the Evolution Garden

Shrub with fancy rose-coloured flowers

Very tall Sunflower

Absolutely beautiful multi-coloured pink roses on the end of a stem

Huge clump of purple Agapanthus with white Crinium Lilies in the background

Large Artichoke or Cardoon

Orange trumpet-shaped flowers - Campsis Radicans

White Crinium Lilies with the Agapanthus in the background

Large group of orange flowers - with one tiny red flower joining them!

Silver Sea Holly

View from the Evolution Garden with a temple in the background

Lovely large purple Clematis flower

Spiky yellow petals with a bee in the centre

Purple Waterlily in the Waterlily House

Pretty pink Waterlily

Two mauve Waterlilies with a reflection of the roof in the water 

Lovely tall white Waterlily

Huge Waterlily pads

Red-eyed Damselfly on a plant near the bridge over the lake 

Female Tufted duck with duckling standing by shrubs at the edge of the lake

Hybrid goose - maybe Domestic/Greylag mix???

Common Blue damselfly on an iris leaf at the edge of the lake

Meadow Brown butterfly on mauve thistle-like flower

Holly Blue butterfly on Purple Loosestrife

Pair of mating Common Blue damselflies

Crafty fox

View of Syon House on the other side of the Thames

Gatekeeper butterfly on Ragwort in the woodland garden

 

Atlantic Puffins, Seals and Guillemots - Farne Islands, Northumberland - 15th June 2025

On my last day in Northumberland, I travelled once again by bus from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Seahouses in order to go on a boat trip around the Farne Islands, which included landing for an hour on Inner Farne.  We boarded the boat, left the harbour and then the engine cut out!  We drifted around for about three-quarters of an hour before the skipper got the engine running again - to huge cheers!

While stuck outside the harbour, I took a photograph of distant Bamburgh Castle

I also took a photograph of Seahouses harbour and other boats that were on the move!

Eventually we were on our way to the Farne Islands and passed a Puffin with a fish in its beak

Puffins were standing on and flying above the cliffs on one of the islands

A group of seals were lying around near another island

There were lots of Guillemots up on the cliffs

A single cute young seal was lying on rocks

We then landed on Inner Farne where there were many Atlantic Puffins to be found

 

Some were standing amongst the pretty white Sea Campion flowers

Other were standing by or in their burrows

A pair of Puffins were beak-rubbing while their companions watched on

This Puffin was definitely refusing to come out of its burrow!

Some Puffins were flying over the island and off on a fishing trip

Pair of Puffins watching the humans wander round the island

Watch out - Puffin coming in to land!

Time to leave after one hour on the island - I could hardly drag myself away!