Mars 2013 (2)

This is what our back yard looks like in mid- to late March. The deciduous trees have lost their leaves, but the "grass" (native plants, really) stay green. New growth is appearing, as with the sedum plants just above. It's springtime, though snow can't be ruled out.

All around the yard, and especially under the linden tree (le tilleul [tee-YULL] near the house and visible above left), these little red and black insects called gendarmes appear en masse. They feed on plant matter and sometimes on other insects or larvae. We seldom see any of them in the house. As far as I can tell, they don't fly. Here's where you can read more about them, in English or en français. They are called "firebugs" in England, I think, and they have been reported to exist in small numbers in the Americas. I don't think I had ever seen one before coming to live here in Saint-Aignan.

Sometimes it's just fun to take pictures...