On thorns and roses

They are so beautiful.

I have one other rose in my garden who now has both pink flowers and white ones. Something to do with a sucker.

I chose old fashioned fragrant varieties. That final pale pink one has so many blooms that it's ridiculous. The red and the big pink one were planted poorly and only manage three or four blooms in a season. The climber in the lilac tree does better.

Today was a good day on one score as I saw a lot of hover flies, whom I hope will eat some of the aphids. My garden is nirvana for aphids. Also for, we think, privet hawk moth. Lisa said it may well be their caterpillars who munch their way through the poor front lilac leaving nothing of the leaves but stems.

Hope the bats get them.

And while on bugs...

Any idea who this is?

I think it's a red-legged shieldbug.

This was in the Cover where I saw, guess what??

And visited some sick and some healthy oaks. I love this one.

Clare and I are going to find out if this is where the bats roost!