Extreme Gardening

Category: Butterflies

  • As Summer Ends

    I think that this has probably been the best year for butterflies since I first moved here over thirteen years ago. All the usual favourites such as the Red Admiral, Peacock Butterfly, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady and Speckled Wood are in abundance in the flower garden and copse, but there have also been many more…

  • All Creatures

    I have always kept some ragwort in the garden since I first found the caterpillars of the Cinnabar moth and realised that I had a treasure trove on my hands. A few winters ago, I used up the last of a stack of wood in my woodpile and inadvertently uncovered dozens of moths who I…

  • Daily Gifts

    Despite another cold spell, the garden is full of surprises. After over eight years the Eleagnus shrubs have started producing fruit. This one is covered in thousands of fruits in every stage of development. It is interesting that almost all are growing on the side of the plant facing north where there is some protection…

  • A Benign But Dry September

    The nights are drawing in, but it is the changes in the wildlife that to me are the signal that winter is on the way. The goldfinches have started to return to the garden and I do hope that I have as large a flock as last year. The slugs are less evident although by…

  • The End of a Long Hot Summer

    7 September 2022 You can tell that autumn is here as my dogs have recovered from their summer lethargy and are frantically tying to destroy my garden in search of mice and voles. Dry stone walls like the one above, large trees and favourite shrubs are all fair game and the three dogs have the…

  • New Beginnings

    I have a love-hate relationship with the Inula Hookeri which dominates whatever part of the garden it inhabits. Its flower is interesting from the moment it appears, but it spreads rapidly and will quickly push out anything growing near it. Each winter I have the arduous task of containing it, muttering under my breath as…

  • Stink Bugs and Other Delicacies

    October 2021 Irish shield bugs are ‘potential’ stink bugs, as they secrete a horrible smell when handled. Apparently, they can also bite. In my experience the smell may be bad, but the taste is foul even when mixed with raspberries. I have been enjoying the latter on a daily visit to the fruit garden and…

  • Bird Droppings as An Art Form

    3 September 2021 Artists at work on my stone walls I have decided that I have to change my attitude to the pilfering of all of my fruit, as dwelling on it is bad for my blood pressure. It just requires a slight change in my perception from birds as thieves to birds as artists…

  • A Harvest at Last!

    2 August At last, I finally managed to beat the birds to one crop in the garden. The rosehips are just ready for picking for syrup. As the seeds don’t contain any vitamin C, I have gone to the trouble of removing them before making the syrup and placing them on the drystone walls around…

  • Garden Visitors

    6 August 2021 Every year around this time I decide that the Inula hookeri has got to go. It spreads very quickly and when it matures it flops over and covers a multitude of other plants in the herbaceous border. Each year I try to contain it by reducing it to a quarter of its…