The joy of catnip

 Cat mint seldom survives in our garden as it is crushed by the myriad of moggies that frequent the place.  To alleviate this problem I have inverted a wire hanging basket and screwed it to the top of a pot of cat mint.  This has not stopped Chloe from having a go at it, but at least the lower stems and leaves will be protected.

 Rosie had the idea that if we placed the pot against a wall and surrounded it with other pots, at least some of the flowers would survive.  It was not long before Max found it and started rubbing the wire basket.  I suppose a plant that smells of old tomcat has its own appeal.

 Whilst in the garden, it was clear that the chives were attracting rather a lot of bees.  I counted 5 species on one clump of chives.

 There were also a few solitary bees, which are much smaller than the bumble bees and honey bees.

My list of observed species is;

Red Tailed Bumblebee - Bombus lapidarius
Red Tailed Bumblebee - Bombus rudararius
White Tailed Bumblebee - Bombus lucorum
Garden Bumblebee - Bombus hortorum
Solitary Bee - Colletes daviesanus

Lots of other insects were busy in the garden.  I spotted this fly on a hydranga leaf.  I would not attempt to identify the species as there are so many of them and I am not an expert by any means.