| Gallery: Wildlife in a Provencal garden |  |
All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004. Gardening in the arid landscape of Provence is not easy, as Madame and Monsieur Bouchard can testify; but an appreciation of the natural flora and fauna brings its own rewards as the pictures in this gallery show. For a fuller account of the garden and its wildlife see the feature Two weeks in a Provencal garden.
Pictures
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Paper wasps (Polistes gallicus) are very common on the continent though absent from Britain. These rather gentle wasps were commonly to be found drinking in puddles at the pool-side at La Roque. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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Living in Lancashire, I don't get to see too many hornets (Vespa crabro) which are a more southerly species in Britain. This one turned up pool-side at La Roque. You can clearly see the diagnostic rufus colour of the thorax and upper abdomen. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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I didn't see too many spiders in the garden at La Roque, but this large one turned up towards the end of the holiday - much larger than any I have seen in Britain. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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I saw these small harmless scorpions (Euscorpius flavicaudis) on three occasions: always on the inside wall of a toilet! (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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This large (about 7cm) green praying mantis turned up in the pool one morning. Unfortunately I never saw a live specimen this large. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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This praying mantis was more typical of those we found in Provence. I'm not sure whether these were adults or early stadia of larger insects. This one is pictured on the finger of 11 year old James. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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We saw wall lizards like these fairly frequently. (The exact identity of this animal is uncertain: there are a number of closely related species.) Generally speaking, wall lizards have a larger head in relation to their body than our own common (or viviparous) lizard (Lacerta vivipara). (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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The sight of one of these green lizards was always an exciting treat. They were quite easily frightened and would frequently run right up a tree or bush to avoid a close approach. They are quite large animals - this one was perhaps a foot long. The bright green colouration of this one marks it as an adult. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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I took a number of books and field guides with me to France. Of those that I left behind, the one I missed most was my field guide to grasshoppers and crickets: there were many, many species in Provence. Most of the grasshoppers were quite difficult to approach and photograph, but I did manage this picture of one. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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I grow globe thistles that look remarkably similar to this in my own garden. At La Roque they grew like 'weeds' but the insects were just as attracted to them as they are here. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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The emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator) occurs in Britain and is more common in the south of the country. This one turned up at the pool at La Roque and settled on the lie-low long enough for me to take a picture! (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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Like grasshoppers, crickets were numerous and varied in Provence. The saddle-backed bush-cricket (Ephippiger ephippiger) can be identified from the sharply defined black line at the back of the head. This large female is pictured on the hand of 11 year old James. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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One of my abiding memories of Provence will always be the sound-scape: from nightjars (Caprimulgus europaeus) and scops owls (Otus scops) at night to the almost unremitting sound of cicadas during the day. Despite their large size (and incredible volume), sometimes these animals could be hard to spot against the trunk of a tree; so good is their camouflage. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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The variety and beauty of the butterflies in France was amazing. We frequently encountered scarce swallowtails (Iphiclides podalirius) in the garden of La Rouque. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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This scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) is drinking from a soaking leaf at the side of the pool. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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This unidentified fritillary butterfly was also attracted to the damp ground at the side of the swimming pool. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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Not all of the animals were new to me; but though familiar, this common blue (Polyommatus icarus) did not look out of place amongst the exotics. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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This butterfly, the southern white admiral (Limenitis reducta), was common around the garden at La Rouque, but always very flighty and difficult to photograph. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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This impressively large scarabid beetle sounded like an aeroplane going over when it arrived in the garden one evening. If you can identify this insect, please contact SpaceForNature. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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The violet carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea) is a huge black (and bluish) insect often to be seen on passion flowers (Passiflora caerulea) around the garden. This one is pictured on a globe thistle. Our host assured me that they do not sting, but their sheer size was quite intimidating. (All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in the garden of 'La Roque', near Ginasservis in Provence, southern France in 2004.)
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