08/07/2025
It's school holidays, so of course I said to the kids, "Let's go to the polytunnel and look for baby frogs!". W, my 5 year old, 'helped' water the flowers by sticking the hose nozzle a few inches into the soil. My 8 year old collected a literal handful of baby frogs and made them a pond out of the lid of her water bottle.
I did a spot of weeding and other bits and bobs while keeping one eye and both ears on what the kids were up to. W declared, "It's a firework flower!" pointing to the bent wild carrot flower in front of his face. I took a good look at it with him and watched this lovely hoverfly make its way across the florets. They're so unassuming but so incredibly helpful to gardeners. Hoverfly markings are designed to mimic wasps and bees to deter predators, but they certainly don't have a sting. Bees get all the hype as pollinators and ladybirds get all the glory as aphid eaters, but hoverflies are just as fabulous as either of them.
Happy holidays kids!
