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The Little Picture
This Vapourer moth caterpillar has picked the perfect background to show off its dramatic coat – you could hardly call it a disguise! It always amazes me that I can find just one of these creatures a year when there must be many more around for the species to survive. This one was on a…
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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…
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Summer Colour
This pink Leptospermum scoparium ‘Martini’ was a new addition to the garden last year. It tends to be delicate and I had no hope that it would survive the cold winter. It is past its best in this photograph, but to my surprise it is thriving. If it is like its relatives in the garden…
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Disaster on the Driveway
Disaster has struck my ash trees. This view of the top of my drive is one of my favourites. This photograph was taken in Spring when I started to plant some extra shrubs to give the birds better shelter when feeding in Winter. Sadly, once the foliage ’emerged’ or didn’t as the case may be,…
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Bees’ Bottoms
My hawthorn trees lost their flowers very early this season, while across the valley they remained in full bloom a week later. I only managed to make one bottle of cordial until the Crataegeus prunifolia suddenly burst into bloom. The resulting cordial is an experiment as I could not find any recipe, but hoped that…
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Salt is Not Always Savoury
I am usually very alert to any weather ‘events’ in the garden, but seem to have missed a recent dry wind from the south with its usual unwelcome gift of salt. The black leaves on the hydrangea are always a hint, but this time the Rosa Rugosa seem to have suffered as well. This is…
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Beauty and the Bugs
I am always slightly disappointed when I find a new creature described as ‘common’, when they seem very exotic to me. I rescued this Rose Chafer from the dogs a few days ago as it emerged from the cuttings in the herbaceous border. It was positively luminous and the photograph does not do it justice.…
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In Spite of the Weather!
This feels like a strange spring and while I have not kept detailed records, it seems as if everything has come into blossom at the same time this year. Blackthorn, Prunus, Crab apples, Clematis and even the Salmonberry shrub are all covered in flowers and dare I say it parts of the garden look a…
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Grumpy Weather
Old grumpy and I have a lot in common at the moment and I don’t think that I am the only one who has been feeling irritated by the weather. Despite everything, the rosemary continues to flower and seem impervious to cold. Notwithstanding the dreadful weather of the last few months, the garden is full…