Puzzles

[Armin]

Mark,
is your puzzle seed of beans?
Vicia faba (schwarzsamige Puffbohne) or Phaseolus vulgaris var. nanus (Buschbohne "schwarze Kugel"; black turtle beans) ?

[zephirine]

Mark, could it be what's left of the caviar box you treated yourself to, after "the great news"? 
If I'm right, thanks for sharing!
(even if 5 caviar eggs for the number of us...but, well, better than nothing!  )

[zephirine]

Zephirine, would it grow in the Swiss Alps do you think? Wild geranium love it there.

Yes, I do! (G. soboliferum is reputed hardy to USDA zone 4)...provided you can give it enough and regular moisture. It hates it when it's dry.

[Anthony Darby]

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/flatwrmegg.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/flatworm.htm&usg=__T6OyjMif0MHfyOUGxgsy11iVa3E=&h=254&w=426&sz=14&hl=en&start=0&tbnid=P2VxuZGgPHziAM:&tbnh=156&tbnw=181&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnew%2Bzealand%2Bflatworm%2Beggs%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D994%26bih%3D625%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=108&vpy=99&dur=904&hovh=173&hovw=291&tx=125&ty=78&ei=eiZgTMjPI5eisgakjtHHBw&oei=eiZgTMjPI5eisgakjtHHBw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0

[Maggi Young]

Or here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2007/100107/log.html

[mark smyth]

very strange that I just added to the discussion but it hasnt arrived.

Yeo says Geranium soboliferum, I knew the answer , is supposed to produce runners but he has never seen any

[mark smyth]

my puzzle - none are correct. I'm trying to give a clue but cant think of one just now

[Anthony Darby]

Well Mark, if it's not New Zealand flat worm eggs I'm stumped!

[mark smyth]

These are related to something I am interested in - relative doesnt mean in the same family

[Anthony Darby]

Swift fly (Crataerina pallida) pupae! Not something you want a lot of Mark.

[mark smyth]

you're good or was the clue too easy?

The strange life cycle is the pupa becomes an adult next June and produces a larva in late July missing out the egg stage but where do the adults go?

ready to scream? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CrataerinaPallidaKlausRoggel01.jpg

Scaled up and living on us they would be the size of  saucer

[fleurbleue]

    Filthy creepycrawly !!! 

[Maggi Young]

  Filthy creepycrawly !!! 

 I second that!  To the power of ten! 

[Anthony Darby]

I once found a dying swift in Bridge of Allan. I picked it up and a dozen or so of these shot off and up my sleeve. I caught one and still have it in alcohol. Where the rest went I've no idea. I do remember trying for ages to catch a (similar) sheep ked on a young girl's tights, with her mother fretting beside me (why?) when we lived in Callander.

[Armin]

Mark,
thanks for the good puzzle.

Anthony,
I made similar experience when picking up a dying swift. The leeches are damn fast.
The infestation in Ireland with flat worms is quite interesting. Never heard before.