The 18th of the month seems to loom, (plenty of time to write a quick article), the 18th of the month arrives and it disappears and yet again I have missed the last few deadlines. Excuse ? None ! It seems daft to talk about our summer activities now that the autumn and the rains are here in abundance but I just thought you might all be interested in a fact I learnt whilst we were making silage. As most of you know, silage is either cut and stored in a clamp and normally covered with huge pieces of plastic held down by loads of used tyres, or …
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I really cannot comment on nature without mentioning our garden, much of which has been planted with wildlife in mind. Getting the right balance and plantings has, however, been quite a learning process. What was commonplace to us in Sussex for well over 40 years often failed miserably here in Devon. There are at least four springs, a bog garden and areas of quite deep shade and only occasional well drained soils. This means that we have to concentrate on moisture and shade loving perennial plants for a large part of the garden, whilst …
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To see the latest news on Gardening Club please see page 15 of this month's Parish Paper http://www.payhembury.org.uk/images/2019-11-Parish-Paper.pdf …
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As summer turns into autumn we have been facing strong winds and a lot more rain. The bog garden has been awash over recent days, but as warmer days returned we were blessed with excellent numbers of butterflies. Most of our Painted Ladies have gone from the garden and I suspect many will have commenced their autumn migration back to Europe and thence to where their forebears came from earlier in the year. This has been an excellent year for this species, almost matching the last big one in 2009 when an estimated 11m reached our shores. There …
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As July wore on the hot weather stayed with us and we basked in a profusion of butterflies, nectaring on Verbena bonariensis, including an aged Painted Lady, which has since been joined by several freshly hatched ones. This is an excellent plant, as the flowers hold their nectar over a long period compared to Buddleia, which needs regular dead-heading to encourage fresh spikes. The hedgehogs are prospering with five all in clear view one evening, which delighted a friend who was staying with us. The sound of them snuffling and crashing …
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It has just struck me that this is the first anniversary of me taking over these nature notes following the sad death of my predecessor Alan. I still remember him with great affection – he simply loved all forms of nature and his enthusiasm was immediately obvious to all who spoke to him. No two years are the same in nature – the ebb and flow of the different species is always interesting to note. The glorious birdsong so evident just a few weeks ago has largely subsided, although the local Chiffchaff appears to be announcing his territorial …
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The sight of a Beautiful Demoiselle on the new path whilst out enjoying the monthly walk with the PGWC in May made me think that dragonflies would make an excellent topic to write about. Despite all the water we have around us, there have only been four species of dragonflies recorded in the garden: Beautiful Demoiselle, Azure Damselfly, Golden-ringed Dragonfly and Southern Hawker, although I am half expecting a Banded Demoiselle to show up. Of all the insects, dragonflies are truly spectacular and arguably the demoiselles are the most …
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