Tattoodave

It was the Collins Complete Mediterranean Wildlife Photoguide that did it for me

Saw this little chap in Berlin a couple of years ago, never realised the city was so green, would like to go back sometime, especially if there's soul involved

You can actually see the brown lip on it, it's the base of the shell where his head would come out

It's a Brown Lipped Snail though Russ

The Euonymous family are marvellous, deciduous and evergreens, variegated foliage on some, different coloured seeds and seed cases, some with outstanding autumn colour, great for bonsai, and believe it or not they used to make spindles out of them for lace making.

Saw a crested tit this morning, we had heavy rain Saturday and Sunday, first real rain since February, not ideal, but at least it'll do some good for the flowers to come. Found these from Monkey World on a flash drive, lovely little chaps, reminded me of my brother

Just beat you to it Steve.

The first one is a geranium, but impossible to tell without better foliage photo, Second is Euonymous europaeus, or common Spindle, very brittle wood but great autumn colour, Third is a snail, but I guess you knew that? Fourth I have no idea without seeing more of the plant Fifth is a Campion/ Catchfly, but I'm not sure which Sixth is a cornflower of some sort. I know more about Spanish flora!

looks more like Shaggy Ink Cap Steve, but what do I know?

My last foray into the mountains today before I fly to the UK for a week, I found this large bee idling on a Daphne gnidium waiting for it to warm up. This was one of the reasons I wanted to go, though I didn't expect them to be in flower because of the lack of rain, however they were plentiful and looking wonderful with no snails or slugs to munch on them. Quite a few butterflies still about, mostly too quick for me, but I think this is a Silver Studded Blue. This is the main reason for my trip today, the foliage is evident during the spring, so the plant has to be located then, and a good memory lets you know where to look. As none of my books have a photo of it in flower, and only two of them mention it, one giving a line drawing, and a note saying they're in flower from September to October I decided to risk a trip and hope for the best. The first location was hopeless, but persistence paid, and I've bagged Lapiedra martinezii, it smells faintly of lilac, and as it doesn't appear in the books has to be scarce, I'm one happy bunny.

Ordered my copy a while ago, it'll take about 6 days to get here though

My pleasure Swifty, it's a lovely family of plants, some mightily colourful and some quite plain by comparison, make a very impressive border plant if you can keep the slugs and snail at bay.

I'm reading "Mist Over Pendle Hill" at the moment, set in days of yore, and full of things that I don't understand, very confusing for my mind, but I plod on without getting too involved in the history of costume, it's enough to have to cope with the social niceties of the time. I probably would have "Cross Model Synchronisation" too if it wasn't for the deafening Tinnitus

It's a Canna lily, likes to be well fed and watered, won't stand a British winter without a really good mulch, but is easy enough to dig up after the frosts and keep in a large pot.

I still have eidetic memory, takes me ages to read a book as it gets so visual, I always knew I hadn't grown up!

well they are blues and purples, orange works with colours the opposite of the colour wheel

Yes Russell, same plant, and I must agree it is amazing, undergrown, and yet so easy, looks stunning with Agapanthus and Perovskia, or some of the blue/ purple salvias

I'm sure you could well have, it's been around for years as an herbaceous perennial, doesn't get grown as much as it should be, but orange is never an easy colour to place in the garden.

Pretty's that took me a while to identify, not common here, but all fairly spectacular

Two of the plant foods of the Monarch butterfly larva which I'm wanting to introduce to the community gardens here, early days, but I'll be propagating from these.

Pilgrimage time I guess, shame there's not a walking stick badge to say you've been there

It's always handy to take a small spray bottle with you Steve.

your secret is safe with me

Surely if you have 3K and want to buy the original then you should buy it, I would, if I could find a good one