Just dropped in!

This insect just landed on the flowers of a blackcurrant type producing shrub which is prevalent round here. I have a feeling that it is some kind of gooseberry which is used to graft more productive blackcurrants onto, but the graft long since died leaving the hardier and vigorous host plant to do its thing. The fruit are actually very pleasant tasting, slightly sweeter that blackcurrants but not so plentiful or easy to pick. These shrubs have a lot of flowers at this time of year and often seem to grow by the many wayside crosses that Poland is increasingly full of. Asparagus also tends to appear there too as it is generally grown as an ornamental plant which most people here don't appreciate is very good to eat too. I'm occasionally cheeky enough too.

I was going to show you the large beetles which go crazy at this time of year and the dogs like to eat (beautifully crunchy), but the shots were uninspired and I thought that this serendipitous macro was more interesting. You can see the breathing holes in the thorax. I haven't a clue what it is, but it decided itself to be blipped and I couldn't bring myself to deny it this fleeting blip fame. There were also some shots of the inner mysteries of a magnolia flower and some emerging quince blooms.

Thank you for the condolences for the apricot. Is it revivable? I'm afraid only time will tell, as Deng Ziou Ping commented when asked about the success of the French Revolution.