Yesterday, as Penny swam at Willsmere, I was entranced by the clouds of golden beetles hovering in the sunshine beside the river. They were all around Penny as she was guarding her toys from the other dogs, but she didnt take any notice of them.
Today, a cooler day, they were there again, this time clustering on grasses and on the trunk of a tree.
I found out their name by asking a man who was spraying weeds in the park. (How much work goes into maintaining these parks that Penny enjoys!) I thought the name sounded scary, but he said theyre harmless.
And he was correct. Heres an article about these beautiful but strangely-named creatures. They are nectar drinkers.
This one had the nerve to land on Pennys toy!
