Strobili.

A late start today as I stayed up finishing my book last night.  I must stop doing this. Did some photo deleting and weeding in the garden. Found some lily beetles in the front garden on the fritillaries so they have gone to lily beetle heaven. I hate killing anything but needs must.  Put the jackets I washed yesterday into the washing machine to be reproofed and lay around doing crosswords etc.  The New York Times has shut down the last wordle archive website so that should cut down my time wasting a bit.  I wasn't hungry so skipped lunch, set Roomba going,  went the local recycling on the way to Craigmead car park which was almost full of walkers cars. My walk was a very short one to a bit of woodland close by where I've seen ladies smock and green hairstreak butterflies in the past.  I knew it was too early as it's high up but one always hopes.  However the larches were putting out fresh needles and a couple  had seed cones. Larch trees don’t have flowers, but they have small male and female immature flower-like seed cones, called strobili, made up of scaly bracts growing on the same tree. The female European larch flowers (or cones) are red before they mature to brown cones. Male flowers (or small seed cones) are creamy white, smaller than female flowers and are globular or oblong. Female strobili are oblong and stand erect on the branches. I had a great time photographing them and old cones that can remain on the tree for several years.  Came back for tea and toast although I still wasn't hungry. I seem to have lost my appetite lately which is good as I've lost some weight too.  I'm not overweight but I'm nearer the top than the bottom on the recommended weight scale for my height.  Getting lighter would definitely help my knees so here's hoping.