chris pp

It's a Burnt orchid...http://www.planetepassion.eu/ORCHIDS-IN-FRANCE/Burnt-orchid-France.html You can find most common orchids in France here. http://www.planetepassion.eu/ORCHIDS-IN-FRANCE/Wild-Orchids-and-Helleborine-in-France.html Chris

Early purple finished some time ago, so I presume that was when you saw them? Chris

Whether or not you should have killed it is a moral question and is for you to decide. If you mean did you need to kill it, then the answer is No. Chris

It is indeed a Queen European Hornet, you can tell by the size and the amount of reddish brown, in fact this year they are well behind like so many things with the weather and probably haven't raised any workers yet in most regions. Re Asian Hornet including traps. http://www.planetepassion.eu/WILDLIFE-IN-FRANCE/Asian-Hornet_Vespa-velutina-nigrithorax_Frelon%20asiatique_France.html Chris

I was a bit tired last night when I posted and I rarely use this forum now because I have to change browsers to be able to post. The animal could also have been a Polecat, both North American Mink and Polecat would fit the ticket from your brief description. On the "bird front" if you live in a town or larger village you may also have swifts just to confuse the issue. http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/martinet.noir.html and near some rivers, old quarries etc.. Sand martin... http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/hirondelle.de.rivage.html This year has been bad for all of them in France, Swifts, Swallows and House martins with many birds starving due to the poor weather, cold spring and lack of insects. No doubt the number of young will be reduced substantially as well. Chris

The likelihood is that your creature was an American mink, (same as in the UK.) Swallows are not in free-fall, that would be an exaggeration, decline yes but for a combination of reasons. http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/hirondelle.rustique.html http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/hirondelle.de.fenetre.html Coypu were introduced into the wild in France by accident from fur farms. Chris

Rose chafer, it happens all the time, we have loads of them.[:D] They also arrive in bought compost and plants from garden centres etc. http://maria.fremlin.de/stagbeetles/larva-guide/index.html Chris

I would assume that your dog is recovering now, is that the case? Also, has your vet actually shaved the area where the "bite" is? This should be clearly visible, and what treatment has the dog been given other than anti inflammatory and antibiotics? Chris

I'm a bit behind the times with this one, but if there are loads of them it sounds more like Rooks in which case they are resident and rather noisy all the year. I know, I lived with a rookery on the other side of the road as a child, wonderful.[:D] Chris

Definitely Kestrel. Chris

First of all it's not a lizard.[;-)] Secondly they aren't that "toxic" and cats will leave them alone because salamanders don't move quickly. I frequently handle them and only remember about their delicate nature when I feel my lips burning a bit. It's amazing how many times we touch our mouths.[:D] Chris

Bee swarms can start to arrive any time from about mid April depending on region and climate. Only honey bees make a swarm that forms into a cluster.  The size of the cluster can vary and be up to 20,000 bees and possibly more.  They will usually settle in a tree or bush for some days during which time a number of bees designated with the task of finding a suitable home will be looking for one.  It's important to call a bee-keeper as soon as possible if you see one of these swarms to enable it to be collected before it ends up in somebodies roof or chimney.  List of English speaking bee keepers that will collect swarms.  http://www.planetepassion.eu/WILDLIFE-IN-FRANCE/Collection-of-bee-swarms-in-France-English-speaking.html  List of French speaking bee keepers that will collect swarms can be found on the same link.  This is a photo of a bee swarm.  [IMG]http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q73/unautremonde/Oddments/The-swarm1.jpg[/IMG] Cheers, Chris

I beg to differ, they will in my opinion be either or both Field voles and Common voles, great food for so many other species. Chris

That's great then and, as in 99.5% of cases, nothing to be concerned about, in fact quite the opposite.[:D] Enjoy the butterflies. Chris

See here. http://planetepassion.freeforums.org/yet-another-caterpillar-actually-lots-t400.html Chris