Hello

I have decided to take a break from the decorating which of late seems to take up all of my spare time and am just sitting on the bench in the garden.

The sun has retreated behind cloud now, but it is still warm enough to enjoy just being outside.

Just a few feet away is the bird table and I have loaded it with the remains of last week’s loaf and a handful of peanuts.

There is a constant relay of Jays coming down for food alongside Magpies, Woodpigeons, Blackbirds, and the resident Robins, often accompanied by a hungry and noisy youngster demanding to be fed,

There are several birds in the large trees around the garden singing and even with the constant noise of traffic and conversation of passing people it seems quiet peaceful.

It will be even better when all the building work is finished and I can actually see all of my garden from this spot rather than having to look at stacks of building blocks and bricks which are lined up like a smaller version of the Berlin wall and currently obscure much of my view.

But that’s ok, it will all be finished one day, and for now I am not thinking about it too much.

At this moment I have one of the tamer Jays sitting on the bird table watching me type. I feel quite privileged that such a normally wild bird feels that they can trust me and allow me to watch from so close by, although of course the bribe of food helps.

It seems quite interested in me and spends a lot of time just watching me, sometimes just sitting on the table and occasionally hopping up into the branches of a nearer bush to get a closer look.

The Jay has now been replaced by a pair of Woodpigeons who are stuffing bread down like there is no tomorrow, but every now and then have to take a break.

The Woodpigeons can get very defensive about the bird table and I have often witnessed them pushing other large birds like Magpies off the table.

There are a number of Bees flying around and a small Bumble Bee has just landed on the edge of my laptop, perhaps for a quick rest before moving on in its constant search for food.

There have been occasional Large White Butterflies passing by too

It is still too early in the year for many Butterflies to visit my garden much as it is so shady but later in the year when the later summer flowers bloom I get more visiting.

Although we always seem to have a number of Speckled Woods at the side and the back of the house which get a lot more sunshine.

And whilst I have been sitting here a Cinnabar moth has just drifted by.

I have had a huge number of Ladybird larvae in the garden this year although only seen one adult.

And once again have caterpillars on the Hawthorn, which are easy to spot as they weave a silken protective canopy over themselves whilst feeding.

The Foxgloves are almost finished now but they have been replaced by equally impressive Evening Primroses, which have self-seeded from somewhere as I have never seen them in the garden before.

Another attractive plant that appeared on its own is Purple Toadflax and has been very popular with the Bees.

I haven’t been very successful with many of the plants I have tried so far and lost several either to snails, or I guess they just didn’t do well in my garden. Possibly it is just too shady, although I have tried to keep the shrubs lower on the south side to let in as much sun as I can.

Now the wilder plants seem to do just fine and I think that I will have to concentrate on encouraging them in future rather than more popular garden plants from the nurseries. But my aim always was to create a woodland edge type of garden and perhaps I should stick with that idea.

I have a large number or native plants flowering, which I seeded last year, including Birds Foot Trefoil, Red Clover, Ribwort Plantain, and Vetch. But I have had to cut some of them intermittently as the little area was becoming a huge tangle amongst the wild grasses, as they tried to outgrow the other in search of sunlight.

And that has been a problem with many other plants in that they constantly strive towards the sun from the south and end up collapsing.

But I am not disheartened, I know that as long as they keep growing they will come back stronger next year.

The Badgers are still regular visitors just about every night and it is not unusual to have one dash past you in the drive when you return home after dark.

And the odd Grey Squirrel still turns up at the bird table once in a while just to check what is currently on offer.

I recently disturbed a mouse from behind the compost bin although it was far too quick disappearing into the woodpile for me to be able to identify.

And finally, a new resident to the garden …. I recently spotted a small flash of copper movement on the path in the grass, which on investigation turned out to be a young Slow Worm.

ciao

The garden is looking very lush and green at the moment. The warm and wet weather has prompted everything to put on a sudden rush of growth and every week I have to go out and cut back my small grassy area to prevent it from smothering the slower growing plants like Birds. Foot Trefoil.
My dad gave me a small electric lawn edger which has proven to be quite handy as I can use it to accurately cut between the taller plants like Ribwort Plantain and Clover.

Most of the early spring flowers, Primroses and Daffodils have pretty much finished now and have been replaced by the next later flowers like Bluebells, Lungwort and Cowslips, which on sunny days encourage the Bees into the garden and have seen quite a large variety already.

I was surprised to see that one of my Wood Anemones had managed to survive the Badgers digging and only spotted it when it began to flower.

My original three wild Strawberry plants have multiplied and I am beginning to see quite a number of plants flowering now. I have begun moving a few as they had started to grow across the area which is to be my pathway.

Also the three wild Garlic plants I put in last year are beginning to produce flower. I moved one as I think I originally planted them a bit too close together and if it survives the move ok I will probably move another.

Many of the plants I put in last year are beginning to break through again although I think I have probably lost a couple of Purple Loosestrife as one is growing well but no sign of the others.

The Hop plants I bought late last summer are already climbing up the nearby trees and the Foxgloves have started to shoot up and hope to have a good number of flowers on them this year. The Bees love them and I spend hours watching them searching for Nectar amongst them.

I have sunk the large pot containing my Stinging Nettle into the ground where the small Conifer failed and it seems quite happy there and is already about three feet tall.

The two small Buddleia I planted last year are growing well now after a rather slow start last year `when they both looked quite sickly for a long time. And now I have started attacking the larger bush in the centre of the garden, that has to go.

All the shrubs I planted last year are in leaf and seem to be doing well, although the Medlar still bothers me, as it doesn’t really look very healthy.

But the small Crab Apple I planted has done incredibly well and has more than doubled in size and is currently covered in blossom.

Although too early for it to flower yet the Dog Rose I planted has also grown amazingly well, into quite a large bush and I may have to start pruning it this year as it is already about Five feet tall.

The Violets my dad gave me from his garden are doing well and currently have quite a large number of flowers and obviously they seeded well last year because I now have hundreds of tiny plants appearing.

I have a small number of Ragwort plants growing in the garden this year and I will probably let some of them stay as they are so popular with various insects and there is no danger of anything eating them.

I have lots of small wild plants appearing, at the moment most of them are too small for me to identify them accurately but as they grow I will decide which I will allow to stay and which will have to be removed.

Saw my first caterpillar about a week ago on the Cat Mint; I don’t actually know of any caterpillars that feed on them normally.

As soon as they finish flowering I will have to cut them back to prevent them seeding otherwise they take over the garden and I am constantly digging out small plants.

Still have the Robins visiting regularly as are the Blackbirds, Wood Pigeons, Collared Doves, Magpies and Jays, but a lot less of the smaller birds this year. I have seen very few Blue or Great Tit’s and the Dunnocks of which I had lots last year have been rare visitors this year.

And the bird box has had no takers again this year.

One bird that has become a regular visit to the garden is a very tame Herring Gull. Now normally I don’t much care for them in the garden but this one seems to have taken a bit of a shine to the place and often comes to feast on the bread at the bird table and has now got so tame that if you hold out food in a bowl he will come and feed from it. (I am not brave enough to hold the food in my hand, as that is a vicious looking beak)

As long as it stops it from attacking the Black Bin bags on rubbish day I am happy to put up with him/her.

Only seen one Squirrel this year, but the Badgers are still regular visitors to the garden and often see them in the evenings.

Away from the garden, I took my first trip of the year up to Hastings Country Park a week ago. It was a bit windy but surprisingly warm out of the wind. Saw quite a large number of Speckled Wood butterflies, and several Smooth Newts in a small pond.

And on the way back to the car, a large Fox hunting in the open near the car park.

I hope to get up there quite regularly this year if the weather is good.

Lets hope for a good summer this year… it is well overdue.

ciao

Well hello

It’s been a while since I last posted and thought it was about time I made a start again.

I have done almost nothing to the garden over the autumn and winter for a number of reasons. Mostly I just don’t like the cold and wet weather, of which we seem to have had plenty, but also because my boss has insisted I work slightly longer hours which has left me no time free during the week and means that I have to do all my home chores etc at the weekends.

Also, I have recently had some major work begin on my house, which is still ongoing and has turned the area into somewhere resembling a battle zone.

Although I made a start to my new path and the small retaining wall, I didn’t get it finished as every time I had the time to work on it, it poured with rain, so I need to try and make that a priority this year.

Also, as soon as the building work is finished I want to start putting some planters out at the front of the house to try and brighten the concrete are which at present is all very grey.

I did get out in the autumn and cut back the grass in the small area I seeded and also pruned the trees and shrubs a little to remove some weight caused by the constant wind, which causes everything to lean in to the garden.

At the moment it all looks very dull and bare out there, but I am hoping that many of the plants I put in last year will come again, and also hope that some of the wild seeds I have collected on my walks will take and bloom.

The Primroses I planted last year are all in flower and although they looked a bit ragged earlier when the frosts hit them but they are looking bright now.

I also have a couple of cowslips flowering already although perhaps with a little less vigour than they did last year straight from the nursery.

I have lots of bulbs showing, mostly Bluebells, Daffodils but also a few various I planted last year, but have also seem to have lost a few plantings. The most obvious of those is one of the small conifers I bought, which is now totally brown and I believe beyond recovery, although the one next to it seems to be thriving.

I recently bought a number of perennial plants, which I have just started to pot out and once they show good growth will plant them out into the garden.

Also, my dad has given me with a few more Foxgloves, which have already been planted out in the garden, as I do love them.

Although I continued to feed the birds over the winter there were definitely a lot less than last year, perhaps because the garden is so much more exposed than before.

The Robins and Blackbirds have been with me all year around, and the Wood Pigeons have become regulars to the bird table now, but I have seen far less Blue Tit’s and the Great Tit’s have been quite infrequent visitors, although yesterday I went outside and there was a small flock of Long Tailed Tit’s at the bird table.

I also saw my first two Starlings out there this winter. It has always surprised me that such a common town bird had until then been absent from my garden.

Even more surprisingly, I have seen no sign of the Squirrels this winter; perhaps someone nearby has started to feed them?

The Badgers are still visiting regularly and a neighbour tells me he saw four in the garden one evening recently.

So then, that’s my little update and as the warmer weather approaches and the evenings draw out I will get out there and do a little more and will in turn begin to post again.

ciao

Hello

This is one of my favourite months of the year. Autumn is upon us but with still the last remnants of Summer.

I love the cool mornings when there is that slight misty haze and just the hint of colder weather to come.

The leaves are turning brown and beginning to fall and the trees and shrubs are red with berries.

The old Buddleia in the garden has still a few flowers upon it and this is drawing many Butterflies, Moths and Bees.

The Buddleia has for the first time this year drawn a number of Red Admiral Butterflies to the garden to feed and in the evenings far more moths than I have previously seen. The other night I watched whilst a Robin took advantage of this free meal and sat in the branches and snatched the moths from the flowers.

There have also been quite a number of Large Whites Butterflies also feeding there alongside various Bees and Hornets.

I have noticed several insects that I had not previously seen in the garden this year so just maybe I have made a little bit of a difference.

The Nasturtiums I planted are still going strong and attract the Large Whites to them, as they still appear to be laying eggs. And the Bees appreciate the late flowers.

Many of the plants I have put in failed to flower this year although they are growing well and I hope to see clover and Birds Foot Trefoil flower next year,

Also I hope that many of the plants that have flowered will re-seed themselves and come back alongside various other plants seeds that I have scattered in the garden collected on my countryside walks.

The wild Strawberries I planted have sent hundred’s of runners out across the area I planted with wild grass and flower seeds so it will be interesting next year to see how well they do. I will cut back the grassy area once all growth has stopped to prevent too much of it compacting and give the strawberry plants a chance to see the light next spring so that they can continue to multiply.

A few other plants have failed, so I know that they were not happy there and will look for alternatives in the future.

And there have been quite a number of plants that were doing well but were absolutely decimated by slugs and snails. It is a bit disappointing to lose so many but since I am creating this garden for wildlife I cannot really complain too much.

I am still fighting against the Brambles and small seedlings appear daily and each weekend I spend quite some time picking them out. I know I will never beat them completely but as long as I can keep them to the minimum I will be happy, as I don’t want the garden to return to the way it has been for previous years.

One of the small Pyrocantha has quite a few berries on it as has the large old Guelder Rose although most were blown off by the strong winds.

But no berries on the Rowans this year as neither of them flowered, nor did any of the Hawthorns, but they are all still only small so hopefully in later years. And, I was quite surprised not to get any Elderberries this year.

But the Ivy is flowering well so hopefully a will get a good showing of berries again this year as the birds love them.

Also my small Crab Apple tree is doing well and put on quite a bit of growth and I have about six apples on it. But I am still a bit concerned about the Medlar. Which has had very little leaf on it this year, and the Kent Cobs did very little and have suffered a bit from the wind.

I bought two hop plants this summer, the one I planted in the garden has done ok but the one I re-potted is by far the better plant. But I will probably also put that into the ground in the next few days.

I also bought a small Canary Broom this year and planted it in the garden but within a week or two was suffering badly from Snails feeding on it. I tried putting a little fence around it and filled the space within with holly leaves, as I was told the snails would not like crossing it. Didn’t work at all and within another week was stripped bare.

But I dug it back out and potted it and bought it onto the concrete area, and now it is looking very healthy again and has managed to put on some further growth. I think I will leave in the pot for a year or so and try and give it a chance to get larger before planting out again.

I need Hedgehogs badly. Problem is, with Badgers visiting regularly. I don’t think that will happen. As I understand that their spines are no defence against a hungry Badger.

I often see the woodpiles in the hedge disturbed, probably by the Badgers looking for mice or grubs. And they regularly dig for worms under the hedge.

There have been a number of Fungi appearing around the garden but identifying some of them has been difficult, as they always seem to have been trampled in the mornings, probably by the Badgers, which are regular visitors now.

Almost every evening I have looked out of my window to see a Badger out there and sometimes two.

Like most town animals they are quite tame and are not bothered by lights and noise, and on occasion when the wind is in the right direction I have been able to stand in the garden and watch them from only a few feet away. Well that is until the wind swings around and they scent me. They then take off at high speed.

The Robins have been with me all year feeding from the bird table alongside the Collared Doves and Jays, but today I noticed that just a few other birds are beginning to return as natural food becomes slightly scarcer, and the Robin has been vigorously trying to defend the bird table against the re-appearing Dunnocks.

The Magpies who have been absent all summer are also beginning to return to the garden and I look forward to seeing all the other birds that visited regular last winter.

Hopefully I will get a couple of new species come calling.

I have also spent some time exploring the Hastings country park which I love, and the other day whilst visiting to take a look at the Highland cattle I got caught up in watching daylight flying moths and whilst doing so, I for the first time saw one of the large wasp spiders that are found there, and spent some time taking photographs. My thumbnail; about 2cm, beside the Spider in the picture to try and give a size comparison. Before that day I had only ever seen pictures of a Wasp Spider. I have to admit it is quite an impressive beastie.

I have also continued to explore some other parts of our town’s parks and surrounding countryside, although there are still many places I would like to visit.

I did take a trip down to the Bird reserve at Rye, but to be honest it was blowing a gale and quite hard to see much bird activity. And to be honest I don’t much care for being out in the wind. It’s a hair thing!

ciao

Hello

The spell of warm weather we are currently enjoying is slowing the growth of all my new plantings and I have to regularly use the watering can to ensure I don’t lose plants.

Some of the new shrubs are looking a bit brown around the edges but not as bad as some of the larger trees in the street.

But I don’t want to have to water too much as I want the garden to be able to look after itself and that is why I have favored native plants rather than aliens.

I have-not done much in the way of gardening recently as the ground I far to hard to plant anything and have mostly just been weeding out dozens of tiny Bramble seedlings before they get established.

But recently, whilst on a visit to Bodiam, visited a local nursery there, near the station, and bought a Hop plant as my attempts to grow them from seed failed.

They had a number of plants there that you don’t normally find in the local garden centers and at reasonable prices, so will probably be returning there in the future.

The warm weather certainly has bought out the best in one or two of the established plants and my large mature Privet hedge has put on the most stunning display of flowers, which smell glorious and have been absolutely covered in Bees of all sorts as has the Honeysuckle, which also has the most beautiful scent.

I have large Buddleia at both the front and back of the house but have not seen a single Butterfly on them and even the Bees don’t seem much interested in them which I find odd because the last garden I had also had a large Buddleia and when in flower was almost always smothered in Bees, Butterflies and Moths.

I have only seen a few Butterflies in the garden so far, most recently Comma, Large Skipper and both Small and Large Whites, both laying eggs on the Nasturtiums.

But last week I went for a walk following the river Haven up onto the marshes and was amazed at the number of Butterflies there. I cannot remember when I last saw so many, and I am sure the numbers must have run into the hundreds or more?

Back in the garden I have started to see just a few Meadow Grasshoppers and continue to see the occasional Green Speckled Crickets, which seem to prefer the shrubs and bushes.

I recently found, on a Hawthorn, a large silken web containing caterpillars, which I believe to be one of the Ermine Moth larvae. And next to that I noticed large areas of the Dog Rose had been stripped by Sawfly larvae which although small are quite pretty and adopt an ‘S’ shape when disturbed.

There are quite a lot and I was a little worried that they would strip the bush. But then the local Robin discovered them and thinned their numbers considerably.

The Robins are still my most regular visitors to the garden and I have continued to top up one bird feeder which is their favourite and will patiently sit nearby whilst I fill it.

The Collared Doves are still visiting the bird table for corn and whenever I put Peanuts out the Jays soon appear.

The other evening whilst in the garden a Fox came down the drive and was halfway across the garden before spotting me. It stopped stared at me for a while and then turned around and wandered back up the drive without any great sign of fear.

I only seem to have one Squirrel visiting now but it must be checking the bird table regularly as it seems to appear like magic as soon as I put peanuts out.

And the Badger certainly likes Peanuts as it is visiting the garden just about every night now to look for handouts.

To have a Badger visiting the garden regularly, but also happy to feed right outside the window is more than I could have hoped for a few months ago when I first started work on this project.

So far I have only completed about 25% of the garden but already I have so many plans for the rest of the garden, which will probably keep me busy for a year or two.

So, it looks like you will have to put up with my ramblings for a while yet.

ciao

Hello

You turn your back for what seems like no time at all and almost a whole month has slipped away.

But wasn’t that short period of this month glorious. And look at it now.

Yet once more my garden is being battered by the wind, but it did need the rain. I have cleared a good half, or more, of the Brambles and dug out the roots, but after that warm spell my garden was beginning to look like a dried up river bed criss-crossed with large cracks in the earth.

Taking advantage of the warm weather I have neglected the garden and have been exploring the Firehills and I am not afraid to say that I am rather falling in love with the area.

I have seen the Exmoor ponies that others have written about. Idled in the narrow rides surrounded by dancing Speckled Wood butterflies and been mesmerised by Stoats performing playful acrobatics. I have been tunelessly serenaded by Ravens, and generally lost myself in the early morning tranquillity of the place.

And there I have discovered an unusual new species.

We pass them everyday in the street yet hardly notice their passing. But take a walk in the countryside and they speak, they say hello and smile at you. You know, I could actually get to like them given a little more time. : )

Anyway, assuming that these past 2 weeks have not been all of the summer we are to get, I will be back there quite regularly exploring all that the country park has to offer.

Back in the garden the areas I have planted are steadily turning green. The small area under the hedge a bit too green as I think I overdid it with the grass and wild flower seeds and have been out there each weekend thinning plants out so that everything has an equal chance. It was turning into one huge mass of plants each trying to outgrow each other and in some cases completely overwhelming the smaller slower growing plants.

But I have to be a little careful what I remove as I have noticed a number of very small caterpillars that feed on wild grasses, cleavers and similar, and don’t wish to condemn them to the compost heap.

I bought a small number of bedding plants just to get a little instant colour for the first year but they are not doing so well……..

I plant them.

I go to bed.

The next day they have gone.

You lift the lid off the compost bin and you realise why.

I think I have built the Snail version of the Hilton.

Otherwise I don’t really have a lot of colour in the garden yet but the Foxgloves are now flowering alongside Thrift, Scabious, a couple of Wallflowers and Verbena and that seems to be keeping the Bumble Bees busy.

But still not enough flowers to really attract butterflies. I see the odd ones passing through, but they do not stay for long. But it is early days and I have set myself a target period of two years to complete the major tasks and don’t expect the new plants to come into their best until next year.

The two new Buddleia I planted, after a shaky start from being transplanted, are beginning to put on some growth but don’t expect a big display from them this year so the original large old plant has been given another years grace before it has to go, but might have to suffer an extreme hair cut.

All the new shrubs will have to have be regularly pruned as I want them to grow tightly together and create a thick hedgerow effect. Which will be a windbreak in the summer but still let just enough dappled light through for those grasses and plants that come later in the year.

I wish to encorage the Speckled Wood butterflies from around the back of the house to the front.

I saw my first one in the front garden yesterday so I am hopeful.

What I do have is loads of Aphids. The other day I noticed the small Elderberry was wilting quite a bit and on inspection saw that it was covered in blackfly aphids. I think I need a few more Ladybirds.

I was around my dads on friday and his garden is full of Ladybird Larvae, I don’t think I have ever seen so many in such a small area.

Last autumn my garden was full of Ladybirds, I guess being so overgrown it was good place for them to hide and breed, and earlier in the spring I saw quite a few but now I have opened it all up they seem to have dispersed.

I started to notice Fireweed beginning to sprout in various parts of the garden and am in two minds about letting it remain as it gets everywhere, but it is a good wildlife plant, so I am letting just a handful continue to grow and just hope that I can keep it under control.

In fact I am letting just about everything have a chance. I suppose, the number of Dandelions, Thistles and other plants they might consider weeds, growing in the garden, would horrify many gardeners.

But I am not exactly short of space at the moment and it’s all good in moderation.

I am still getting regular visits from the Robins who obviously like my garden for bug and caterpillar hunting and usually sit and watch me every time I go out there, probably hoping I will do some digging.

I have also have a number of immature Blue Tit's coming to the bird table, probably from an early brood.

And the Jays are visiting quite regularly to take peanuts from the bird table outside my window.

The bird box has not been used at all, but to be honest I didn’t really expect it to be on its first year, if ever, but at least I can say I have tried, and in time might add a couple more in future years.

Not seen any Foxes this year. Although I know they come to the garden as I find places where they have been digging under log piles and such places. Probably after mice which I know I have a few of living in the garden. I picked up a piece of rubbish that had blown into the garden yesterday and a small mouse shot out from beneath, although too quickly for me to be able to identify.

And whilst originally clearing the garden I found a number of nests under bits of fallen fence.

Not seen a Bat yet and no reports of the solitary Badger this year.

I am still hoping that eventually when all the major work has finished and everything has calmed down and there are a few more darker secretive places that I might get a hedgehog come visit occasionally.

I have plans for a pond, maybe next year that I am hoping will be a big wildlife attraction. Assuming I can keep it clear of leaves in the fall.

I don’t really want fish, but then again I don’t want Mosquito’s either so not sure how you go about controlling those….

Answers on a post card please?

ciao

Hello

Lately the weather does not seem to be able to make up its mind. One moment it is pouring with rain and then suddenly the sun breaks through, only to last a short time before the rain and even hail or sleet returns.

Consequently this has held me up in regards to the jobs that I need to get completed before I can move forward with the garden.

But in those rare moments of sunshine when the wind is not blowing a gale and I can get onto the garden without getting bogged down in the mud, I have managed to look around to see how things are progressing.

All the plants I have added seem to be doing well and I am just waiting for some flowers now, which in turn should attract Butterflies and Bee’s.

I continue to add the odd plants here and there, including Scabious, Sedum, Thrift, and more Violets, courtesy of dad.

The area I planted with wild grass and flower seed’s is coming along nicely and I can see a number of different plants in amongst the grass seedlings. At the moment though I am trying to thin out, what I believe to be hundred’s of Borage seedlings, which are springing up everywhere. I have always had a handful of mature plants in the garden, but this is the first time I have seen any new seedlings.

The Strawberry plants are just beginning to flower along with the Wild Garlic I bought at the same time.

The Primroses and Cowslips still continue to give a good showing although past their best now. The Cowslips have been especially popular with Hairy Footed Flower Bee’s.

I have noticed quite a variety of Bee’s when the sun shines but as yet I am not very good at distinguishing between the different species, but I think I have identified Buff Tailed Bumble Bee’s and possibly Tree Bumble Bee’s.

Almost all the shrubs and small trees I have planted seem to be doing okay and even the slowest are now showing leaf.

The Crab Apple is doing well and even though only a very small tree put on quite an impressive amount of flower, which has now pretty much all dropped. So maybe I will get some apples on this year.

There are plenty of Harlequin Ladybirds on the remaining Brambles but not seen any of or native species yet. I am not sure if it is my imagination but the Harlequins seem much shyer than our native species and once I move close to examine, they very quickly try to hide.

I saw a couple of Green Shield Bugs the other day. They have always been common in the garden and when the sun shines quite a number of Hover Flies appear on the sunny side of the hedge.

I saw a pair of Speckled Wood Butterflies at the back of the house recently, so hope that maybe they will be laying eggs somewhere nearby as they are one of my favourite Butterflies.

I have also seen a number of small blue Butterflies, mostly just passing through, but as yet have been unable to identify any of them positively, as they rarely settle long enough to be scrutinised at all.

I hope that as the new hedge attains full leaf it will provide much more shelter from the wind, which again will encourage the Butterflies, which obviously, struggle in the strong winds and make it difficult to make positive identification.

Also, on the potted Blackberry plant I bought, I have found what I believe might be the larvae of the Small White Butterfly.

And on one of the Foxgloves a solitary larvae of The Garden Tiger Moth (Wooley Bear) which once upon a time were so common but seem to be disappearing now.

From reading articles online, etc it seems that many of our native species of Butterflies and Moths are moving northwards, possibly as a result of global warming.

Although possibly, they will in turn, be replaced by those species that are generally only migrants.

I have reduced the bird feeders to two small ones now, and so have fewer birds visiting. The most regulars are a pair of Robins now which I think must be nesting somewhere very close, as they always seems to be one in the garden.

The House Sparrows are also always around as are the Collared doves, but the Blackbirds and Blue Tit’s are less common than they were earlier in the year.

As a result of not being so much free food about, the Squirrels have pretty much stopped visiting but I am sure they will return come winter and the resurrection of the bird feeders.

A few days ago I decided to take an early morning walk in Alexander Park and took a pocket full of peanuts with me to feed the squirrels. I didn’t see a single one ...... I guess they were all still tucked up warm in their beds.

So instead, I fed some of them to the Carp, who were only too happy to except a free meal.

I do enjoy the wilder parts of the park which hosts such a large variety of birds, albeit a somewhat artificially enlarged population due to the large numbers of surrounding garden with bird tables and feeders.

But, it is a good way of watching slightly less common birds, like Woodpeckers, which would normally only be found further from the town.

Not exactly ‘in the garden’ but on a neighbour’s roof, I have noticed a pair of Lesser Black Back Gulls who seem to have taken up residence. It makes a nice change from the Herring Gulls who dominate the area.

ciao