A still, warm autumn morning, and ivy in full bloom is cascading over the wall around Auckland park, seething with insects: comma and red admiral butterflies, honeybees and bumblebees, bluebottles, wasps, drone flies and hoverflies.
Does the ancient ivy support the crumbling wall, or vice versa? Its glossy leaves and lime-green flowers hide the stone completely. The inflorescences are spheres of florets, each with a coronet of five stamens tipped with golden pollen, surrounding pools of nectar droplets that glisten in the sunlight. There are no other nearby food sources for nectar drinkers and pollen nibblers: this is their last chance saloon, before winter arrives.
