Tuesday 3 August 2010

Catch Up

I'm playing catch up again… I seem to have been on a photo-taking frenzy over the past week…


Happy Violas for the pots.


My first year growing Bergamot… I think I quite like it! The Butterflies and bees seem to anyway,


Lavender 'hidcote' bought reduced… They looked to be poor specimens in the pots, but put them in the ground and they look fine! Small, but they'll grow quickly enough.


A strange double-headed Scabious…

Small Tortoiseshell



Monkhood has been flowering for a while now…



I've seen a few Bees dying recently… Worrying…

This Bee wasn't in good shape…

And a dead Wasp…

10-spotted Ladybird

Harlequin? Or one of our larger natives??


Plenty of Gatekeepers once again…

Can you spot all the Butterflies in this photo???



Plenty of Shield Bug babies.


And a very welcome Angel's Fishing rod!!

Stargazer lilies… they've never been very good, I really ought to get rid of them, but their perfume is very heady…


Veronica 'Twilight'




Newly hatched Shield bugs


And an interesting sunset to close…


22 comments:

Laura Bloomsbury said...

Fabulous flowers and beautiful butterflies. What a catch up! So many lovely images - would not know where to begin to comment. Was impressed with the clean nails in the ladybird pic - surely not the gardener?!

Laura

Curbstone Valley Farm said...

Gorgeous Liz! I think I missed a butterfly or two at least in that photo, but I tried! Beautiful sunset too!

Cheryl said...

Hi Liz.....my daughter has found quite a few dead bumbles in her garden. I seem to remember come do die of this time of year and are replaced by new bees. Hopefully that is the reason and not disease.

Your sea holly certainly are good for the butterflies........I did grow some from the seeds you sent but they have not done very well........I shall try again.

I love bergamot......I treat it as an annual here, it does not like my flooded winter garden.
Liatris and coneflower are just the same....prairie plants do not like their feet in water. They will never work here.

Angel fishing rod.....beautiful Liz. I live in hope that my little plants will flower next year.......and that the rabbits will not eat them.

I have a garden full of butterflies at the moment, it is lovely to be amongst them......

sweetmyrtle said...

these photos are all heaven to me ~ just wonderful ~ nature's details. x

Liz said...

Hi Laura,

Haha, actually yes they are my nails... Although there is a little bit of dirt on my finger… I’m quite neurotic when it comes to clean nails I’m afraid, so they rarely look particularly bad. Most of the work is done using gloves but for delicate planting clearly it’s best to take them off.

I’ve yet more photos to even crop and sort yet. Mainly a nice surprise in the garden which I discovered on Sunday.

Liz said...

Hi CV,

Heehee, I think I’m also missing a Butterfly or two in that photo! Not the best of shots I have to admit, but I was trying my hardest not to scare them all away!

Liz said...

Hi Cheryl,

I’ve found yet more dead Bees, or certainly Bees which seem to be falling asleep, either drunk or ill I’m not sure. Yesterday there were two Bees on one Coneflower head, different types and both were just laid there seemingly dead/asleep. I poked them a little to see if they were alive and they moved a little. But it’s very strange.

I never have much luck with growing Sea Holly or Echinopps, they seem to love the soil, from seed I just can’t get them to grow. I can’t ever get Cone flowers to grow from seed either.

I’m surprised the Bergamot have survived here… I got them last year so they’re still small/few and far between but seem happy enough. I’ll see what this winter brings!
Lliatris has been growing here since I moved in and each year it gets larger… I started with I think 2 spires and this year I have 5 :)
It may be that although I too have heavy clay, we’re on a hill so the water drains away (sort of, almost…)

I think your Angel’s fishing rod will be very lucky if it flowers next year! I think you’re looking more towards 3/4 years before you get flowers on it. Mine need to be potted on now, I’m a little scared because I know they don’t like to be disturbed.

Butterflies are amazing, and I am very grateful to have so many in the garden. Although I would love to have some Blues visit… maybe one day. Which plants do you find they especially love?
Looking at your photos has reminded me that when I first moved in we had something similar to ragwort (if not actually being Ragwort) which the butterflies liked and it’s now disappeared. My fever few also seems to have been lost this winter.

Liz said...

Hi Ginny,

Thanks very much, I’m glad you liked my photos!

Watch out for another post coming soon, if you don’t like creepy crawlies though, perhaps it’s best to avoid it! :)

Kimberly said...

Liz, I think your "catch up" posts are my favorite! :) I really like the angels fishing rod...so pretty. And your wildlife photos are fantastic!

Town Mouse said...

Oh, I just love the little critters! Really made me smile, thanks so much.

VW said...

The monkshood is so pretty. And so many other shots, too. I love the maroon pincushion flower with the blue-green poppy seedhead in the background - such an unusual and pretty color combo.

Dirty Girl Gardening said...

Your photographs are stunning!

Helen/patientgardener said...

I got rid of my Stargazer lillies last year - decided to stick them in the border to see what they did. Not much was the answer!!

Cheryl said...

Hi Liz....I have been thinking about the blues.....and other butteflies.

I may put together a collection of wild flower seeds loved by butterflies and send them to you sometime in the autumn.
I have noticed a huge change in my gardens after planting drifts of wild flowers.

The bee problem is a little worrying. Bumbles do not live that long. I really am hoping it is just a natural cycle......

Kala said...

So many splendid images. I wouldn't worry too much about the bees dying, there are millions of them here where I live.

Liz said...

Hi Kimberly,

I love the Angel’s Fishing Rod too, and wish to have plenty more in the garden eventually. They are very slow growing and certainly keep you waiting for them! So far I’ve only ever had one ‘wand’ a year… I’m impatient for more! :)

Liz said...

Hi TM,

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed them!

Liz said...

Hi VW,

Ah yes, the dark Scabious… It’s the only one I have from a pack of mixed seeds, most of the others are the more typical lilacish shades. I’ve also discovered a white one this year too, I must save the seeds from both!

Liz said...

Hi DGG,

Thank you very much, I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for visiting my blog, it’s much appreciated :)

Liz said...

Hi Helen,

These Stargazers were bought from Marks n Sparks, definitely not the best quality! Perfume is wonderful though, but I’m not so sure I like the garish pink anymore. I planted a white tinged pink one in the border which had previously lived in a pot for the past 5 years, expecting it to die or be eaten. It’s come up! Looks a little out of place I must admit but it’s adding a nice splash of white :)

I like lilies in bouquets, but I think I’ve discovered I don’t like them in the garden. I’m a cottage garden gal!

Liz said...

Hi Cheryl,

Thank you so much for the seeds – in advance! :)
Will they predominantly be annuals?
I was thinking the Bee situation may just be their natural time to die, but it seemed a little early to me… Perhaps the strange weather has triggered their early demise?

Liz said...

Hi Kala,

Thanks! I do still have plenty of Bees, I’m just finding it to be strange that over the past few days I’ve seen 5/6 die or dying. I know it’s only a fairly small amount in relative terms. And I’ve had some successes like discovering I have blue mason bees – although they too have disappeared now – I don’t know… Perhaps it’s because I gear the garden towards the insects; especially the Bees and Butterflies, that when I see some dying I have to question why.