StoneRoad2013's photos

Bumble bee worker approaching the nest box her small colony call home {June 2021}.

Juvenile woodpecker (the older - or at least it looks larger - of this year's crop) having a snack. The fat-ball feeder has an anti-squirrel / anti-big-black-corvids mesh. The grid is sized to allow small birds access, but this clever woodpecker has worked out how to get a beak-full ... There is another, un-protected fat-ball supply at one of the other feeding stations.

Nematus ribesii larvae and eggs examined under a lens. The caterpillars are munching a gooseberry leaf, with the ability to chew back to the ribs in a very short time.

Underside of a gooseberry leaf, with added sawfly caterpillars munching holes. There are more eggs attached to the leaf's ribs.

Crosswort, growing behind a patch of naturalised daffodils. Cruciata laevipes (or C. ciliata). This has really tiny yellow flowers in May to June.

This is an old variety of, I think, a musk rose. I will try and find the proper ID. "Marjorie Fair" is my current best guess for this one [July 2021]

Mackerel sky - formed by cirrocumulus floccus clouds. more info ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackerel_sky & en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrocumulus_cloud

Many years ago I was given a number of "holey" rocks - this is one of the larger ones. Looks like a limestone that has been home to some marine worms that drill tunnels to live in, but I've no idea where it was found (or even if the person who gave it to me had collected it in the first place). A couple of the others would have made good loom or spinning weights.

root alignment of sweet pepper plant ... somewhat more two dimensional than the normal root ball. It had been quite normal when growing the previous season.

During the spring of 2021, this box was inspected by several birds, but none took up long term residence. However, during May and June we noticed that a bee colony had taken over. Most of the day, two or three bees would fly around on "guard duty" - intercepting incoming flights - and my ears if I got too close ! This is one worker bee just entering the nest box. Later, in winter, I'll have a look inside ...

Someone with a creative bent built [or designed] this fireplace. I'm quite a fan of dry stone walling and this is an interesting variation on that particular skill. . . Not my image : fair use & public enertainment

What happens when you pump out a tanker without opening the air inlet ... Atmospheric pressure [about 14lbs per square inch in old money] will crush the tank quite easily. [American rail tanker] A similar effect ca be observed if you rinse out a plastic milk or pop bottle with very hot water, screw the top back on and then cool the bottle - it crushes in just like that. The severity of the collapse will depend on how thick the plastic is, how hot the rinse water is, and how well the top seals. I use this affect to crush plastic bottles prior to putting them in the recycling as they then take up less space. Not my image : Fair Use & educational purposes

A decent sized humpback whale alongside a yacht, for scale. The small cloud towards the left side of the whale is exhaled air. . . Not my Image : Fair use & Public education

If true, this is an interesting way to upcycle waste plastic ! Also helps solve the need for housing and a far better solution than being land-filled or burnt. [ just estimated - that wall ^^^ has already used approximately 500 bottles ] . . . Not my image : Fair Use & public information

Some creative welding has created a coffee table base that looks like a well-known optical illusion. . . . Not my Image : Fair Use & public entertainment

Meme taking issue with Harding's running of the UK's "Test & Trace" system during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. [which wasn't up to the job, despite the amount of £££ thrown at it] . . Not my Image : Fair Use & public information

Sentinel's Infra-red view [false colour image] of Nar and the lava flows in Geldingadalir. Meradalir and Natthagi on Saturday 26th June 2021. The brighter the colour the warmer the area (with white the hottest, then yellow and red, with black the coolest - background in grey). The two round dots roughly to the east of Nar (the main vent) are small lava lakes. Not my image : Fair Use & educational purposes

The "problem" with second / holiday homes around England & Wales ... Too high a proportion means high prices force out local people, especially in low-pay areas. Situation is made far worse when the "incomers" do not contribute to the local economy nor the community. eg, not buying food in local shops, nor going into the village pub / church ... instead, bringing all the food with them and staying in watching dvds. Some of these homes have been bought with retirement plans in mind. One or two councils have "retaliated" by charging extra 50% or 100% council tax levies ... not my image : fair use & public education