Common Spotted Orchid

We had a minor power outage around 4.30 a.m., which immediately sets off the power shower and the internal alarm.  I duly trotted downstairs to reset it, forgot my glasses, and had to do a return trip.  Strangely it rarely sets off the outside alarm.

There are at least two surviving moorhens on the pond, which I scared off along with a couple of male mallards.  The new lifebelt is in place, looking very alien.

I was going to walk around the field margins, but it's rather pointless for photography, being so windy, and I headed into the wood and back through the orchard.  

So many of the large shrubs in the area have been invaded by the ermine moth caterpillar, creating huge "Halloween-type" webs and decimating the leaves, leaving everything looking quite eerie.

Following on from yesterday, the cancers are not invasive, so don't spread to other parts of the body.  It has made me think that we should all take responsibility for "lathering-up" with Factor 50, whether we think it's necessary or not.  Anything we can do to reduce the need for NHS intervention has to be a bonus, besides saving ourselves a lot of unnecessary appointments and hassle.