Wildlife on the croft

When signing up to the WWOOF scheme, you generally agree to around 5 hours of work every weekday in return for accommodation and food. Being on a small organic croft on Mull meant that nature was never far away from where we worked, and with around 20 daylight hours in June there was still plenty of time to explore after we'd finished for the day. I'd dig flower beds, cut bracken, grow veg and pick strawberries whilst at the same time watching Hen Harriers display in the sky above, and pods of Bottlenose Dophins swim past on the horizon.

Hen Harrier

Dolphin watch-point

On an average day, if I wasn't drooling over displaying Hen Harriers, slobbering over calling Cuckoos or spluttering over the vast expanse of flowering bluebells that carpeted the hillsides, I could usually be found by (or in) the wildlife pond where the likes of Golden-ringed Dragonfly and Palmate Newt have made their home...

The 'wildside' of the garden

Palmate Newt

Golden-ringed Dragonfly

Yes... the croft had moths too:

Silver Hook

Hysterophora maculosana

Coleophora glaucicolella/alticolella (a tricky pair, both of which feed on Wood-rush and look identical)

Neofaculta ericetella

Green Silver-lines

Depressaria daucella 

Glyphipterix forsterella

Hedya atropunctana