I love this time of year. Some might see it as a time when the garden goes to sleep, but I view it as an exciting, dynamic time. Looking around the borders I can see that plants like the betony and bugle have really begun to bulk up in the cool of autumn, so that come the spring some of them will be sharing their very first blooms. In the cool moistness of recent days I've been clearing spaces for new plants grown from seed, moving and dividing plants that have outgrown their space, thinking of new features and possibilities and so it's a time of active visualisation.
Last week I began clearing out the buttercup that had become too dense around the base of our willow saplings. These have absolutely shot up this year so hopefully we'll be able to start weaving our dome next year. As I weeded I found a tiny baby slow worm resting curled up under a stone. It pays not to be too tidy in a wildlife garden. Whilst I worked a frog croaked quietly from the pond and a hawker dragonfly paid a brief visit.
Late this morning we took a quick detour to this little park we know which features a small duck pond. Amidst the usual mix of mallards and moorhen we spotted a wigean; a particularly lovely duck which normally frequents wetlands in large flocks. It just goes to show that anything can turn up at this time of year so it pays to keep your eyes peeled.
Last week I began clearing out the buttercup that had become too dense around the base of our willow saplings. These have absolutely shot up this year so hopefully we'll be able to start weaving our dome next year. As I weeded I found a tiny baby slow worm resting curled up under a stone. It pays not to be too tidy in a wildlife garden. Whilst I worked a frog croaked quietly from the pond and a hawker dragonfly paid a brief visit.
Late this morning we took a quick detour to this little park we know which features a small duck pond. Amidst the usual mix of mallards and moorhen we spotted a wigean; a particularly lovely duck which normally frequents wetlands in large flocks. It just goes to show that anything can turn up at this time of year so it pays to keep your eyes peeled.