Blog Posts -

July 03rd, 2013

3/7/2013

It's been a while since our last entry, mainly because we've been so engrossed with getting to grips with clearing our new allotment. It's quite a challenge!
But things have continued apace in the garden as plants have begun to burst into bloom and the pond has erupted into life.
The borders are ablaze with summer colour now; big clumps of ox-eye daisy, clary sage, foxgloves, viper's bugloss all mingling together and attracting bees and other insects in profusion. The cornfield annual patch has been mainly a sulphur-yellow show of wild mustard so far, whilst at the very end of the garden the red campion is still a mass of pink. It's been flowering for weeks!

Vipers bugloss is a wonderful bee plant and easily grown from seed.

The pond is a hive of activity at the moment with damselflies constantly flying in tandem across it's surface, dipping their tails beneath the surface film to lay eggs. Early one evening a few weeks ago, the hawker dragonfly larvae headed on masse for the bankside sedge, and performed their magical transformations. Such a thrill to witness! Alas, the fading light levels meant that taking pictures was hit and miss but we managed a few shots.

We've some confusion over the identity of our newly emerged dragonflies, but this one with it's bold abdomen stripe looks very much like an emperor.

Speckled wood and large white butterflies continue to grace the garden as do a whole host of other insects like the little beetle below found amidst the wild mustard flowers. I THINK it goes by the name of oedemera nobilis.

May 27th, 2013

27/5/2013

The warm sunshine we've had these last couple of days has really brought things to life in the pond. Yesterday I saw six big dragonfly larvae basking at the surface. These ones are much longer in the body than the stumpy broad-bodied chasers, and greenish in hue, so I'm guessing they're southern hawker larvae, though we have seen emperors lay eggs in our pond too. They're enormous; a good two inches in length. I couldn't resist the urge to grab the net for a closer view.

The stick-insect-like water measurer can often be found around the edges of the pool, though you need keen eyes to find them.

Like all the surface-dwelling insects pond skaters are equipped with water-repellant hairs. They're also fierce predators.

May 24th, 2013

24/5/2013

Wow, there's so much to report! With such a variety of weather; frequent showers interspersed with long periods of sunshine the garden has really bushed out. And it's full of colour now. Close to the house honesty and lilac offer their hues, the forget-me-nots are still a broad band of blue, whilst at the end of the garden garlic mustard, comfrey and cow parsley are a sea of white. Behind the willow saplings red campion which were planted last spring as tiny plugs, have burst into gorgeous sprays of pink. Even the bogbean, which we put in only a few weeks ago bears it's first flowers.

red campion is a lovely woodland native, easy to grow from seed.

Bogbean forms dense carpets across wet ground.

On the sunnier days butterflies are now frequent visitors to the garden including orange-tips, large whites, commas and holly blues. One of the values of adding a good mix of wild plants to your garden is that they provide food for caterpillars. Garlic mustard for instance is the larval food-plant for Orange-tip butterflies.

Large whites frequently take nectar from the honesty flowers.

At this time of year, Holly blues can often be found basking on the ivy leaves.

One of the joys of wildlife gardening is that you're never sure what's going to turn up next. Earlier this month I was thrilled to see a group of three buzzards circling high overhead. I was alerted to their presence by their thin , wistful calls. I know they weren't actually IN the garden, but what a wonderful sight.
Around the pond things have really begun to stir. Common newts make regular appearances, though we've yet to see a male. The big hawker dragonfly larvae are also on the move and one of these is absolutely huge! I've a feeling this will be their year to emerge. Already making that magical transformation are the damselflies and broad-bodied chaser larvae. The feeling of privilege we get from witnessing them leave their skins and unfurl their new wings never lessens.

Having crawled up from the pond overnight these Broad-bodied chaser dragonflies are drying their wings ready for their maiden flight.

Happy birthday pond!

30/4/2013

The wildlife pond is 2 years old today!! It's amazing how quickly it has matured. Even in that short space of time we have been blessed with so many moments of wonder.

Monday 29th April

29/4/2013

We've had some gorgeous weather of late, and in the growing warmth of the sun the garden has come alive. At times it's been buzzing with insects; honey bees, bumble bees of various types, hover-flies, the lovely long-tongued anthophora plumipes bee, and a few passing large white butterflies. The comfrey flowers have already been put to good use, and colour can be found throughout the garden now with the primroses still providing a glorious show, forget-me-nots a lovely powder-blue swathe and daisies and dandelions dotting the lawn. At the end of the garden garlic mustard has begun to bloom. Best of all however, is the marsh ,marigold at the back of the pond; it's a magnificent sight.

The pond itself has been a hive of activity. This weekend the numbers of pond skaters shot up to ten or more. They're aggressive creatures, and the brief but furious battles between individuals are frequent. Water boatmen, occasional sightings of the delicate water measurers and the constant wriggling of tadpoles around the margins draw the eye, and it's easy to become mesmerised by it all, drawn in to the mysterious depths. Frogs still pop up on occasions too, but best of all this weekend was the reappearance of the big green hawker dragonfly larvae and a female common newt. The two dragonfly larvae we spotted are enormous! I suspect this will be their year to emerge as adults.

Monday 22nd April

23/4/2013

Though the wind still feels cold at times isn't it wonderful that spring is with us at last. And when the showers disperse and the skies clear the sunshine feels heaven sent. In response, the garden has burst into life.
The 14th of the month was exceptionally warm and sunny, and it was with joy that we discovered the cornfield annuals had begun to germinate. The pond quickly became a hive of activity. Masses of tadpoles were now visible, and as if by magic this years' first batch of pond skaters arrived. Water boatmen, wirlygig beetles and a pair of water measurers were awake, plus a broad-bodied chaser dragonfly larvae digging it's way into a blob of frog's spawn.
Around the willow saplings Suesie found the first ladybird of the year. Here, lesser celandine is in bloom. This spring flower can be seen flowering everywhere at this time of year, and when the sun shines it creates gorgeous carpets of gleaming gold. Plant it in a cultivated border at your peril though for it is very invasive. It's best confined to the wilder areas or amongst grass.

On the 16th an eagerly awaited batch of wild flower plugs arrived! Barely able to contain my excitement I hastened out to plant them. Some of these were to go into our new bog garden just beyond the pond, joining the purple loosestrife and flowering rush already lifted from the pool. They'll do much better here with space to spread. Arranged around them were the new arrivals; meadowsweet, bogbean and ragged robin. We'd also picked a few shade-loving plants to grow at the end of the garden under the trees. These included the lovely lady fern and that gorgeous wild flower; nettle-leaved bellflower. Kidney vetch, tufted vetch and the the beautiful field rose were also added to our growing collection of native species. Of course, the more native plants you have, the more insects and other creatures will feel attracted to stay and make a home.
So the garden is steadily greening up and bushing out, and comfrey, aubretia, forget-me-nots and periwinkle add their hues. The primroses are a magnificent sight this year.

Returning to the pond, the tadpoles are visibly larger now and swimming freely. The marsh marigold is covered in flower buds and is obviously going to be an awesome sight. There's even a flower forming on one of the little seedlings that were self-sown from last year's seed. We can't wait to see all the dramas and developments of the weeks to come.

April 14th, 2013

14/4/2013

After the coldest march since records began isn't it glorious to feel that spring has finally begun. I know it's a bit changeable at the moment, but gone is that biting cold we endured for so long, and when the sun does shine it feels like bliss.
The seventh of the month saw the first day for us, that suggested a real change was afoot. It even felt warm enough to enjoy our first outdoor lunch of the year. Such a lift to the spirits. As we sat, a great tit sang from the trees at the end of the garden, ringing out it's notes so loudly it seemed to cry; "Thank God for that! Now to make up for lost time!" Having soaked up some of the delicious rays Suesie and I couldn't resist it any longer; we gathered our beloved tools and gardened furiously!
The area planned for the autumn sowing of our new meadow, we've chosen to grow in the meantime, as a native cornfield annuals patch. Having already cultivated the area, the soil was dry enough to rake to a fine tilth, hand sow the mix, then lightly tread the seed into the soil. We then securely netted the area against cats and left the rain to do it's magic.
There's something so exciting about sowing seeds! intoxicated with the thrill of it all I couldn't resist the urge to sow a few trays of purple loosestrife, betony, and foxglove; seed that we'd collected from our own plants last year. These we placed in our newly purchased grow-house.

Amazingly, most our plants have fared pretty well from the ravages of the cold. They've certainly been set back though. This time last year our frtitillarias were in bloom! Only a single shoot can be found at the moment. Pond skaters too have yet to reappear. But a pair of big water boatmen can usually be seen rowing lazily around plus a few water-skimming spiders, either on the surface or scurrying through the grassy edge. And on the 7th, what a joy it was to discover that a few tiny tadpoles had hatched! After all that snow and ice we were very worried for their survival. Today's peek revealed masses have hatched; much more than last year.
Flowers in bloom include; daffadils, dog violets and a carpet of gorgeous primroses. Garlic mustard seedlings have germinated at the foot of the bay tree, lilly of the valley is poking through and old man's beard is beginning to burst into leaf. Other sightings include a chiff chaff; one of the summer migrant birds, taking a bath in the pond.
It's exciting to wonder how the garden will unfold and mature this year, with established wildflowers spreading and maybe flowering for the first time, new ones to plant, and new features and habitats to create.

April 04th, 2013

4/4/2013

If you're anything like me you're not only fed up with the cold weather but itching to get going in the garden too. It's been relentless hasn't it.? I hear things are set to change from now on. If it doesn't I'll eat my socks.
Although things have been pretty much set back in the garden, there have been a few things of note. On those rare occasions when the day has felt blessed with a little sun and warmth, the odd bumble bee has visited, also water boatmen, whirligig beetles and those little water-skimming spiders have been seen in the pond. Thankfully, although some of the frog's spawn has indeed perished from the ravages of the cold, much has survived and has already changed into 'commas.'
Under the trees at the end of the garden, clumps of cow parsley and white comfrey are bushing out. We're beginning to add a few primroses here too and planning to add other shade-loving plants hoping that they will self-seed and naturalise to give this little area a woodland feel. Behind the trees there's an almighty bramble plant which we're going to train to form a screen. Bramble is a wonderful wild flower to have. As well as the rich supply of nectar and fruit, the arching tangle of stems creates a home for all sorts of small creatures.
A trip to the garden centre last weekend resulted in us purchasing a small, five-tier grow house; just perfect for the seed trays we'll be using.
Lastly, we've been preparing the ground for the native annual seed mix, hopefully ready for sowing this weekend. Towards the end of the year we plan for this to be cleared for sowing a native meadow.

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12th March.

12/3/2013

Just when it looked as if spring had arrived, snow and freezing temperatures hold sway once more. Mind you it's not too surprising really; March can be like this. It's amazing how quickly things can change though and we're very concerned about the frog's spawn. I imagine the frogs themselves have probally taken refuge in the very deepest part of the pond but the spawn at the surface may be under threat. Many animals and plants at this time of year have built-in hardiness against any last gasp flurries of winter's cold, but research tells me that frog's spawn exposed to ice will perish. Sometimes those eggs furthest away from the ice, at the base of the clump will be ok, we'll just have to wait and see.

9th March.

9/3/2013

We have frog's spawn! Early this morning, Suesie discovered up to eight seperate clumps, laid together in a mass about ten inches across. And the excitement continued all day. By midday, the surface of the pond had become a frenzy of swirling frogs, seemingly oblivious now to our presence. As a result, we were able to crouch at the pond edge to get some amazing photographs. Two pairs were seen clasped together in the mating embrace; the females embued with a vivid orange hue. The rest appeared to be the slate-grey males; the action punctuated throughout with their low croaks. At one point we managed to count fourteen individual frogs! As night fell they were still at it, and we left feeling truely priviledged that our little garden had been graced in this way.

Down towards the bottom edge of this photo, you can also see another of our resident pond creatures; the stick insect-like water measurer.

Author

Martin. and Suesie are not genious gardeners nor wildlife experts, our main hope is to encourage everyone, however small their plot is, to have a go. We can all play an important role in helping our native wildlife.

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