Dolycoris baccarum or Hairy Shield Bug or Sloe Bug

This shield bug has a distinct purple colour in the summer, which fades to brown for the winter. I took this photo mid September. These are common bugs but it was my first time noticing one. It is framed beautifully by my sunflower.

An Irish Summer

I am a champion of the Irish climate. I cannot understand the tired jokes and utterances about our terrible weather. They can only be made by people who reserve their outdoor activities for a small window of time in the week. We have a temperate climate, rarely too hot or too cold, making it mostly optimum temperature for growing grass which, combined with our healthy rainfall, sustains a rich agriculture. Having driven a motorbike as my main mode of transport for 5 years I found that we rarely have days where it is raining all day but mostly with confined showers and plenty of pleasant weather in between.

And with that I present you photos of the most beautiful day this year so far (18th September), although I've crowned about 100 days "the most beautiful day of this year". I took these on Inch beach near Whitegate. We haven't gone on an overseas holiday in five years and recently I've been wondering if I am playing it too safe and not taking risks as a parent. But then yesterday, after collecting my 5 year old from school, we headed straight to the beach that lies only a few minutes drive down the road and I really felt like I was in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Maybe next year we'll get on a plane.

Here is the same beach (and same children) a week later, and it was just as beautiful and fun:

With the right gear, the beach is definitely not just for sunny weather. It can feel like a completely different landscape on a dull day. Love it!

Pararge aegeria or Speckled Wood Butterfly

Spotted while I was looking for blackberries.

Palomena prasina or Common Shield Bug

An immature shield or stink bug taken on a Buddleia leaf on 1st August 2019.

Nephrotoma or Tiger Crane Fly

The glamorous cousin of the daddy long legs. Taken on a Buddleia leaf on 31st July 2019.

Calopteryx splendens or Banded Damoiselle

I took this photo on a hot sunny day at Kilcrea Friary, Cork on 2nd of August 2019.

Vegetables as Flowers

I had my finest specimens of Pak choi ever this year and they tasted...well I haven't a clue. In case you haven't read my recent posts, we bought a house last year so this is my first gardening season in our new home. We have just over half an acre of garden including a large secluded sheltered sunny area - perfect for gardening except for the septic tank. I have no idea if any part of the area is safe for growing veg. It's a big space but I'd only be guessing where the pipes run and I'm not brave enough. I am planning raised beds even though some sources recommend not putting any structures on the leach field of a septic tank. We'll see.

Anyway, my Pak choi. Big beautiful unblemished plants.

They got a lot bigger than that but annoyingly I neglected to take a photo of them before they flowered, which is what I want to talk about. The only reason I let them go to flower is because I was afraid to eat them and was enjoying looking at them so much. Here is a photo of my pak choi blooming it's long flower stalks full of small sunny yellow blooms:

Pak choi is a brassica so I was immediately reminded of my purple sprouting broccoli plants of yore. This is a photo of some of my 2015 plants:

One reason you might let a vegetable plant go to flower is to collect the seed that will eventually come from the flower. To do this, using broccoli as an example, you do not harvest all the broccoli but allow some of the heads to stay on the plant. Eventually the tightly packed purple heads will burst into flower. When the flower dies you will be left with a seed pod containing green seeds. Allow the pods to dry on the plant and the seed is now dark grey/black and is ready to be harvested. The seed can be stored and planted to grow new vegetables and it is at that level of gardening that you get supreme satisfaction.

Another reason to let veg flower is, as I have discovered this year, they are excellent hosts to beneficial insects. I noticed last week that my pak choi flowers are swarming with the well-known pollinators hoverflies. Here are some pics:

A darker coloured one:

And today I snapped numerous red soldier beetles, or Rhagonycha fulva. This is their mating season and I was happy to read that the adults feed on aphids while their larvae prey on slugs and snails. This might be the most perfect insect I've ever met!

I am now really excited to experiment with more vegetables to see what flowers they produce and what insects they bring to the garden. It is almost as thrilling as eating them.