Just a few bits and pieces from the garden, quite a miserable selection really. There's a spindly spider in the top of this newly resprouting delphinium. I saw it by accident as I was deadheading, luckily not this creature, though. I have no idea what kind it is, unlike the Hairy Monster in the bathroom sink last night. I put a jamjar over it and slid a card underneath then let it go out of my bedroom window. Not my favourite items but at least I can cope with them, on the whole.
There are two potential 'fishing' cats which come into the garden. One is the prettily marked young cat from next door who's not afraid of anything and interested in everything; the other lives across the road, a young black cat with 4 white socks and a nicely marked face BUT he does like the pond. Since I saw him washing his face and licking his lips he's going to get the blame for this. It must be about the 6th fish I've found dead and/or mangled even though we thought we had netted the pond. Somehow it managed to get through a small gap somewhere. That'll have to be Gillian's first job, if it doesn't rain on Wednesday, when she comes to do jobs in the garden.
The hydrangea has been quite disappointing this year - there's lots of growth, green leaves in abundance but not much in the way of flowers, just these. It covers one of the badger entrances but I haven't seen one of those for about three weeks now.....
We're puzzled by this plant, which is just over 2' tall. There are several around in this part of the garden. It's nothing we've planted but perhaps it is germinated bird seed so we're waiting to see what happens with the flowers, below.
They look as if they'll be spikes.
At last, a butterfly! Or on second thoughts, perhaps it's more likely to be a moth because of the way it's holding its wings. Haven't seen many butterflies (or moths) this year, not even round the outside light...
Here's a plant that's got just a bit mixed up - a primrose in August...
I found a 'Nature Diary' I began keeping in 1995 and continued when I first came here. In 1996 and 97 I'm writing about damsel flies and proper large dragonflies zooming around the garden and over the pond. There were newts in the pond which I'd see from time to time, several frogs and a toad or two, water boatmen, pond snails and other insects paddling on the skin of the pond - where are they now, what's happened? Frogs and the toad(s) can't get into the pond now because of it having been netted but what's happened to the other species? Not as many bees, or even wasps this year. A few lacewings have just put in an appearance but as yet no daddy-long-legs are blundering about. No mullein moth caterpillars this year. Perhaps some of the species will pick up again if we have a mild winter???
(And my followers have disappeared again.....)
5 comments:
Tha plant looks almost like lupins. Its not some kind of tree-lupin is it?
Oh wasps, they have taken up residence in one or our apple trees, in the hollow trunk. Its put paid to any more clearing down there for now.
Don't worry the followers are back now :-D
Lucky you - wasps! I had lots on the compost heap because tasty items I'd put on there were attracting them. That took a week or so to clear. Luckily I haven't had a nest this year, famous last words!
I can see your followers OK Sylve. If they do not appear it is only the link to where blogger stores them that has gone down. It happens all the time.
Did you know that you can backup your blog text? I do mine once a month. If you want to know how, just mention it by email.
That plant has French Marigold leaves don't you think? Very similar to Cannabis?
Only joking.
Hello Sylve. Kath has asked me to pay you a visit to try to identify the mystery plant.
I think it is (no guarantees!) Verbena hastata. It is a short lived perennial garden plant that sometimes self seeds. Perhaps a bird brought it in from a neighbours garden.
Incidentally, I used to live not too far from the area that you are bloggingg about. I shall keep an eye on you and visit the blog for nostalgias sake!
Johnson
Thanks Bernard, I'll be in touch about backing up blogs - you're my source of all technical information!
Hallo Johnson, thanks for trying to help about the plant. I've copied a pic which Kath sent but although the flower clusters look the same as Verbena hastata the stems aren't square(as one site said) and the leaves are not so deeply indented. It's very odd!I'll have to wait until the flowers emerge, perhaps. Thanks for your suggestion, though.
I wonder whereabouts you used to live. I'd rather be in the Chilterns than here but that's life, too expensive to move back and I'm used to more open scenery now.
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