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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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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In early April our Long-tailed Tits had fledged and were being introduced to the feeders. By the end of the month chiffchaffs had arrived in force and swallows were making an appearance. Blackbirds, however, were not so lucky, as four hatchlings only lasted two days before perishing. Two of them were neatly laid out on the bridge over the stream. As we go to print swifts have returned – summer is on the way! It has been a good year for the Dark-edged Bee-flies. The proboscis is truly awesome, although there is nothing to fear. With the warmer …
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This can be such a lovely time of the year and one sight we really look forward to is our Japanese Cherry tree bursting into blossom. It is such an ephemeral moment, as it really only looks at its best for about two weeks, but what a period of pure enjoyment it brings us. It also means only one thing – spring has arrived! By the middle of March Brian in Colestocks was reporting robins, great and blue tits nest building and a dunnock laying eggs, plus plenty of activity around the bird feeders. When driving two neighbours to Feniton to catch …
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They are arriving at a steady trickle ………lovely new born lambs. It never ceases to amaze me how new life is as thrilling now as it was when I started shepherding millions of years ago. I think the rams must have taken it a bit easy, hence the steady flow, in fact they must have had a few days off for sure as we haven’t had a lamb born for a few days now. After the terrible winds and rain, we have just turned out the first few ewes and lambs and, as you can see from the photo, its heads down straight away for the ewes as they haven’t seen a …
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