IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Mortimer Rise, TRING, HP23 5NE

Houses line both sides of Mortimer Hill in Tring, but this plot of land opposite Nursery Gardens has not been developed and a stand of silver birches has taken advantage of the resulting space. The white blob above the trees is the moon. If you look carefully amidst the branches you can find a bird and a leaping squirrel, though you may need to look at the bigger version (More sizes).

See also . . . . Image; Image; Image; Image

Looking up from underneath (i.e. a ventral view) of a (probably female) European Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus). This spider has several alternative names, viz. Diadem Spider, Cross Spider and Crowned Orb Weaver. She seemed to be busy unpicking her web prior to rebuilding it (which she had completed within the hour). I wonder if she is one of these Image] all grown up, as she was only a few yards away from where those spiderlings were photographed four months earlier - or possibly she is their mother!

At the corner of the Lower High Street and Brook Street.

An Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila elpenor) imago (adult stage) which found its way into our house. This view - from above. see also Image] & Image] See also shared description below:

An Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila elpenor) imago (adult stage) which found its way into our house. This view - from the side. see also Image] & Image] See also shared description below:

An Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila elpenor) imago (adult stage) which found its way into our house. This view - from the front. see also Image] & Image] See also shared description below:

Four woodpigeons have been behaving rather erratically in and around our garden recently - I assume that they are courting, but as it is nearly August this seems a bit late in the year. This fellow is seen resting on the roof after a bout of bonkers behaviour - keeping away from two others that were still flapping about at each other (see Image] and Image])

This attractive little moth takes its common name, Grey Dagger, from the black markings on its forewings resembling daggers - the "grey" referring to the overall colour of the moth, rather than the "daggers". Its Latin specific name of "psi" also refers to these markings, with their similarity to the Greek letter of that name. Although I have declared this to be a Grey Dagger, there is an outside possibility that it is the less common "Dark Dagger" (Acronicta tridens) but apparently the two species can only be told apart "by a minute examination of the genitalia" - and I would think that they are pretty minute too. Apart from the fact that I wouldn't actually be sure precisely where to look, neither would I be sure what differences I'd be looking for, moths' genitalia not being my specialist subject, I'm afraid. Interestingly the larvae (caterpillars) of the two species are quite different, the Grey Dagger having a prominent "horn" behind its head. Another curious and slightly perverse thing about these two species is that the Dark Dagger is generally somewhat lighter in colour than the Grey Dagger. For a head-on view of this little moth, see Image]

A head on view of the Grey Dagger seen from above in Image] (q.v. for more information). The little insect can be seen here "sticking its tongue out" - or to be more precise its proboscis which is its tubular mouth parts.