Chiffchaff
The first half of this year was amongst the worst on record for invertebrates.
The first half of this year was amongst the worst on record for invertebrates.
Posted by Rob at 08:05 0 comments
Superb dayglower hover fly (Xanthogramma pedissequum) on wild carrot (Dorcas carrota) flower. ‘Superb dayglower’ - that’s a proper name!
This is considered an uncommon insect in our area, but spreading north.
Superb dayglower on wild carrot |
Its life is a complicated one.
Black garden ant (Lasius niger) and yellow meadow ant (Lasius flavus) attend and ‘farm’ underground the root aphids Forda formicaria and Trama species that they collect.
Superb dayglower hover fly larvae have been found underground in nests of black and yellow ants where one assumes they would be challenged by the protective ants.. But they feed on the ants, pupate and emerge..
Are they carried as larvae into the ant nests in the way of chalkhill blue butterflies and fed..?
No-one knows.
Intriguing but beautiful insect reminding us of the complexity of nature.
Posted by Rob at 06:30 1 comments
Water mint (mentha aquatica) is now playing a blinder around the pond.
Posted by Rob at 06:30 0 comments
The seasonal clock is turning, now, with cyclamen hederifolium flowers.
Posted by Rob at 06:30 0 comments
I’ve got this vision that calls to mind the memory of the massive Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.
In biology, biomass is the total mass of living organisms in a specific area or ecosystem at a specific time.
Posted by Rob at 06:30 0 comments
A good drop of rain forecast. Warm weather.
Optimal for casting wildflower seeds.
Ground prepared by removing large perennial weeds.Grass scythed ready for removal
Rough grass scythed then taken away to remove fertility and allow access by Bare soil exposed ready for seed
seeds to the soil surface.
Grass mown to reduce further.
All scarified with spring rake to remove remaining thatch and to ‘rough up’ the soil surface in readiness for seeding.
Seed mixed with dry sand
Mixed our own collected wildflower meadow seed with sharp sand to ensure distribution of seed -and sprinkled on approx 70m2
This morning there was good rain. More forecast this afternoon.
I’m optimistic!
Posted by Rob at 12:12 0 comments
Common blue butterflies ain’t so common this year.
Posted by Rob at 06:30 0 comments
Posted by Rob at 08:50 0 comments
Holy moley.
Warm dark night. Windows & doors open.
Suddenly a large bat circling crazily at speed in the lounge. Long pointed wings.
Guessing a noctule. Our largest UK bat. And loudest - but the frequency of their calls is beyond human hearing.
Opened patio doors wide. And gone.
Amazing wildlife encounter.
I’m delighted to have got a grant for twenty top-of-the-range ‘woodcrete’ Schweigler bat nursery boxes. These are the ones that mum’s rear their pups in. Currently on order from Germany. Can’t wait to put them up.
Notts Bat Group with us on Friday afternoon for another fortnight with the static bat detectors.
Posted by Rob at 04:49 0 comments
Lifting potatoes is one of the principal pleasures of vegetable gardening.
It is also less-impacting as, for instance, every 1 tonne of commercially-grown potatoes will have required a staggering 35 tonnes of water.
A footnote on reducing our ingestion of plastics to which growing our own organic, no-dig food can make a contribution to our long-term health..
Twenty-four brain samples collected in early 2024 measured on average about 0.5% plastic by weight.
A growing body of scientific evidence shows that microplastics are accumulating in critical human organs, including the brain, leading researchers to call for more urgent actions to rein in plastic pollution.
Studies have detected tiny shards and specks of plastics in human lungs, placentas, reproductive organs, livers, kidneys, knee and elbow joints, blood vessels and bone marrow.
Posted by Rob at 06:30 0 comments
A year without wasps.
Posted by Rob at 06:30 0 comments
Black & white chatterboxes.
Posted by Rob at 04:55 0 comments
Staying at Center Parcs, village Nature, Paris as a base from which we’d visit the Olympics.
In spirit and ethos, the Paris Center Parcs is quite unlike the private equity-owned UK business of the same name.
And here we found wildflower inspiration. ‘The management’ loved the wildflower areas on display throughout the site. So much so, that there was an immediate agreement to give over a large part of our extensive lawn to wildflower meadow immediately. Mowing and then composting grass is time consuming during the peak growing season. Removing the hay cut at the end of the season is a big job, but will hopefully be less than the frequent mowing and composting.
Relaxing in the shade of our chalet I was straight onto
Grass is vigorous and so the reduction of this vigour is necessary with parasitic plants like yellow rattle and red bartsia.
Here’s the plan …
Identify areas for recreation lawn and for meadow
Scarify potential meadow areas with hired lawn scarifier.
Use home-collected seed of:
Control perennials e.g. dock during the following growing season.
Add plugs grown from seed.
Strim all grass in September and remove arisings.
Et voila!!
Posted by Rob at 06:30 0 comments
A trail camera under the big garden copper beech.
Posted by Rob at 06:30 0 comments