What a change to the weather we saw this weekend! Sheltered from the breeze it even felt hot at times, and bathed in the warm sunshine the garden quickly came alive with the sound of buzzing insects. The comfrey is still a big hit with bumble bees but lots of other insects were on the wing including orange tip and common blue butterflies, and damselflies too. The one below left is a female large red. On the right can be seen a St. Mark's fly which alighted for a while on the tall grasses around the willow pod.
Now that the dandelions are slowing down the meadow strip has returned to a lush, green hue though a few primroses still bloom, and amongst the grasses it's amazing to see the variety of plants that are beginning to thrive. It's a rich community of plants including; herb robert, black medick, wood avens, ox-eye daisy and the gorgeous germander speedwell seen below.
Elsewhere, the long peroid of recent rain has meant the plants have rocketed up and the foxgloves, ox-eye daisies and wild poppies are all developing healthy flower buds. Forget-me-nots still give a lovely band of blue at the front of the border but much of the garden yet remains green. Certainly, one of the plans for next year will be to add more early flowering nector plants. For now though, it's lovely to feel immersed in so much verdancy, and there's a sence of gathering energy; the pause before everything bursts into bloom. With the evocotive sounds of blackbird song nearby and the distant calls of a green woodpecker, the garden feels so peaceful right now.
In the pond the tadpoles are beginning to finally reappear much, much bigger than when we last saw them. Every now and then, one will pop up for a gulp of air before plunging back into the depths, and I guess this shows they're beginning to move away from a life dependant on gills. Two more newly hatched damselflies were found resting on the grasses at the pond's edge and the baby water boatmen have grown to about four millimeters across!
Lastly, given clear night skies take a look at the heavens sometime. Saturn can now be seen shining due south-eastwards and can easily be seen with the naked eye. Remember, unlike stars planets tend not to twinkle but shine with an unwavering light. Even in binoculars Saturn appears to have something odd about it, but in a small telescope it's beauty is revealed. With it's amazing ring structure it seems almost unreal; like a tiny model hanging by a thread at the end of your telescope. If you've never seen it, then I defy you to take a look and not be awestruck.
In the pond the tadpoles are beginning to finally reappear much, much bigger than when we last saw them. Every now and then, one will pop up for a gulp of air before plunging back into the depths, and I guess this shows they're beginning to move away from a life dependant on gills. Two more newly hatched damselflies were found resting on the grasses at the pond's edge and the baby water boatmen have grown to about four millimeters across!
Lastly, given clear night skies take a look at the heavens sometime. Saturn can now be seen shining due south-eastwards and can easily be seen with the naked eye. Remember, unlike stars planets tend not to twinkle but shine with an unwavering light. Even in binoculars Saturn appears to have something odd about it, but in a small telescope it's beauty is revealed. With it's amazing ring structure it seems almost unreal; like a tiny model hanging by a thread at the end of your telescope. If you've never seen it, then I defy you to take a look and not be awestruck.