I have a friend who lives not too far away (like, still in London but one of the greener bits) who was dive-bombed by a stag beetle looking for its mate last week... good news as the stag beetle is quite rare nowadays. It found its mate in a bush.

I've seen bumble bees in the garden and my complement of Garden Orb spiders seems to have doubled - along with their audacity! Their favourite spinning place seems to be across the back door when it's left open. Obviously they think one really big meal should do them for the summer. It's almost a shame to unhook the webs which are exquisite.

So far only the one wasp, a huge queen looking for a suitable nesting spot. Flies and mosquitoes are back as usual.

Nothing really new or startling - unless you call having an orb spider weaving its web at neck height across the open door startling...

LTS