17 August 2020 Whilst clearing a few plants next to a path this wonderful looking caterpillar crept out: A quick check on the iNaturalist app identified it as an Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar, so called because it looks like an elephants trunk! They are usually found between July and September, the two enormous, black eyespots towards […]
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Gooseberries Gone!
For the first time ever I have lost most of my gooseberry crop to birds. Not only have they taken most of the gooseberries they have broken many of the branches. I grow my gooseberries as cordons so that it is easier to deal with sawfly, lets more air in to reduce the chance of […]
Yellow Barred Longhorn
Whilst watering my 1 year old maiden apple trees in the fruit forest nursery I came across this little beauty. I couldn’t believe how long his antenae are! He is a male yellow barred longhorn, a diurnal moth who apparently is most commonly found on forest and woodland floors – so nice that he recognises […]
Speedwell
The edge of one of our wild areas, where it meets the grass path, hosts a beautiful speedwell. I think this one is the birds-eye speedwell. Speedwell is also known as Paul’s Bettony and is used as a medicinal herb. A long blooming, easy to care for perennial, Speedwell is prized as a garden flower […]
Small Tortoiseshell catterpillars
Although I leave a lot of nettles to grow in my hedge and other wilder areas of the garden I rarely see any catterpillars on them. Just down the road from our house is an expanse of nettles growing under oak and chestnut trees and this week there have been loads of catterpillars on them. […]
Tawny Owl
We are very fortunate to have a lot of mature trees near us plus woodland down in the valley below us. We frequently hear tawny owls calling to each other (the female with the “tee-wit” and the male replying with the “te-woo”) and screeching. Occasionaly I am fortunate enough to see one flying or being […]
Protect. Restore. Fund.
Here is a video by the amazing Greta Thunberg and the pretty amazing George Monbiot!
Amber
Amber died last week. It was on Monday, the start of a new term. She had been steadily losing weight for several weeks, she had a lethargy about her though she did show signs of energy at times. She ate less and spent a lot of time watching the world go by or her sisters, […]
Worm Power
If food waste was a country it’s carbon footprint would be the third largest behind the USA and China. Therefore it is very important that we don’t waste food. There is always some waste such as vegetable peelings, apple cores, banana skins,etc and the way this is dealt with in many cities is to transport […]
Global Sharing Week
This one nearly passed me by, and not because people weren’t sharing the information with me! Global Sharing Week this year is from 16 June to 21 June and the theme of the week is “The Power of Sharing to Change the World.” The week aims to encourage sharing but also to increase awareness of […]