The heat goes on…

We were away for over a week and we seemed to have missed a week of rain although the temperatures were not low.  I thought things might have started to change in the garden.

But no: the Goldfinches are still dining on the Cosmos seeds.

The stray Hollyhock in the vegetable garden is flowering happily with no sign of rust despite the rain.

The bees are happy to visit for the nectar but I would not think she would want all that pollen she has stuck onto her at this time of year.

The Medlar tree is heavily loaded with fruit this year but it is not ripe yet.

It has been so mild that even the little olive tree has given us some olives but it will be a long time before we get enough to do anything with them.

I love the colour of the Persimmon tree at this time of year and I had thought that the mild year and warm autumn would give a bumper crop.

However, it has not been an exceptional year and we better get them off the tree tomorrow or else the birds will peck them all.  I thought it was all the Blackbirds fault but this Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) has been caught in flagrante delicto.

It was only after taking the photograph that I realised the Tits (a Great Tit ( (Parus major) here ) were being helped by a Blackcap ( Sylvia atricapilla), well the free-for-all will end tomorrow and it will be back to peanuts and sunflower seeds for them.

I was pleased to see my winter flowering honeysuckle had started to flower while we were away.  I cannot be sure what kind of bumble bee this is as the buff-tailed bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) in France have white tails!  So very easy to confuse with the white-tailed bumble bees (Bombus lucorum)   Perhaps this winter I will have more time to hone up on bumble bee IDs.

I’m pretty sure this one is an early bumble bee queen (Bombus pratorum) as the yellow band on her abdomen was broken in the middle and the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust says this bee has the most variable colouration.  If you are interested in my tentative identification of bees have a look at my other blog “Bees in a French Garden”.  I am always keen to have contact with anyone interested in solitary bees.

The colours of autumn are not appearing uniformly which with the sunshine give the feeling of springtime more than autumn.  My Liquidambar is turning yellow but I do not see much red in its leaves.

The cotoneasters are trying their best to provide a vivid red and are laden with berries this year.

My Physalis or Chinese Lanterns are bright red where they have self-seeded themselves here and there.  They are a lovely addition to an autumn garden but I am not sure how to make the best of them.  Mine seem to have a weedy growth and I wish I could make better use of them.  Any tips for a better show next year?

I was pleased to see my Mahonia “Soft Caress” that I planted last January has flowered.

I planted it at the same time as my Rosa mutabilis which I first saw in Christina’s garden blog, it is such a delicate rose and virtually thornless and is full of flowers at the moment.

In fact, it does not feel at all like autumn yet.