More bugs

2AAE8E4YZS23 One of the fun things about living in another hemisphere is discovering new things in the garden. 

Not just plants. These caterpillars were one such example (who have greatly disappointed me by skulking off and chrysalising in a place I have yet to find). 

And it's great to investigate these new bugs without fear. In Australia, if you find something unusual in the garden you leave it the hell alone, because chances are it could kill you. The bugs here are so much more sociable. 

Our lavender hedge across the back patio emits a sound much like a World Cup soccer match, it is being harvested by so many bees. There seems to be more bee species 'in the wild' here in France.  I've found three so far.

Your regular honey bee; these are the only ones I see at home in Oz.

Then there's this little guy - bigger, fuzzier, super stripes. 

There's an even bigger and fuzzier one out there too, which sounds like an aircraft carrier, but I've yet to catch him on film. 

While stalking bees I saw another strange flying creature darting around the lavender. 

It was the size of my thumb with wings flapping so fast they blurred. My first thought was hummingbird - but then I saw the antenna. 

Turns out it's a moth.  (A Bee Moth if you're European, a Hummingbird Moth if you're American, a Macroglossum stellatarum if you're a nerd of any nationality.) I'm glad I managed to get a few photos so I could actually see him - he was near impossible to see with the naked eye with all that darting and flapping. 

Interesting and non-venomous; fantastic combination. 

In other news, the new cushion cover is (slowly) taking shape: