Mr K sees stripes

There's a bit of a theme going on this week. Yet another Jersey tiger moth has appeared in the garden, but this one is in pristine condition. His underwings are so scarlet that I thought I had a tortoiseshell butterfly in the garden! He's no less stunning, mind you.

I thought this pic of a rather hot Mr Kipling with his wee front feet outstretched might be a better bet than yet another pic of a Jersey tiger moth. However, you will see some orange in the bottom-left of the blip. That's the moth making a cameo appearance. He flew into the guinea pig zone to escape the heat of the midday sun. The guinea pigs are in the shadiest area of the garden with ice packs in the hutch. They like to sit in their own pee to cool down. Poor creatures can't pant or sweat so have no other way to cool down. Heatstroke can be a real problem and guinea pigs can die from it. My garden thermometer registered 33 degrees C this afternoon! Luckily, the trio kept their cool and were fairly perky this evening.

At twilight, I sat outside (fully covered to escape the mozzies) and watched bats fly back and forth overhead. It was magical. I hope they eat all the pesky biters.