Wednesday 27 July 2011

More Butterflies I’m afraid


Last week we had an amazing day of flutters, and naturally I had to spend most of my day stalking them.

We’ll start with this large moth; I don’t know which type it is though



We had Green-Veined Whites





Commas









Gatekeepers arguing along the hedge

Small Tortoiseshells


Large and Small Whites


Peacocks

And then just as I was sat hoping for Small Coppers like last year and wondering whether I’d see any more Skippers along came these: Small Skippers



They’re so dinky and cute

And if I hadn’t sang praises enough for Erysimum yet… Almost every species of flutter I’ve had this year has fed off it!



It had a little sunbathe on the Lupin

And then the Coreopsis ‘early sunrise’.

Sadly I didn’t manage to get a shot of them together before they chased each other away.

We did also have Meadow Brown, Speckled wood and my first Red Admiral that I didn't manage to snap a photo of!

Copyright 2011 Liz.
All rights reserved. Content created by Liz for Gwirrel’s Garden.

Saturday 23 July 2011

Where has the year gone?

I’m deeply concerned that we’re speedily coming into August; where does the time go??

We’re into the mid-summer garden now and lots of plants are blooming, yet I still have this compulsion to buy more, more and yet more plants! Eeeek, I’m quickly running out of space, however the last batch I’ve bought is intended for the front garden; White Saliva, and a couple of types of Burnett.

I’m still yet to get some plants in the ground that I’ve bought over the past few months, I’ve been stalling so I’ll have to make a point of getting them in so they can get settled before Autumn arrives in September.

Dahlia ‘Happy Days’ and Isotama, I’m not too sure about the combination, however at least they are adding a nice splash of colour.

Bergamot is suffering somewhat from some mildew type thing, and I’ve discovered that another has survived winter and it’s just popping up now so it’ll be a few weeks before we see any blooms off it.

Dahlia Roxy is combined with Nemesia…

I can’t believe how much it actually smells of Vanilla, amazing.


This rose has popped up in the hedge near the other rose I’ve posted about previously… I’ve never seen one this colour before so I wonder why it’s just appeared.






And this is the first time I’ve had white cornflowers!

This is a darker shaded version of the mystery plant I posted about last week, I’ve no idea what they are…


I chopped these Nettles back a few weeks ago and it looks like they’re coming back with a vengeance… Oh well, they’re good for the ground and I can compost them again and add lots of nice nutrients.


This Shasta Daisy is at my parent’s, I stole some blooms that were laying on the ground… I’ve warned mum that next spring I’ll be round to steal some for the garden :D



They’re sharing a vase with Dianthus, Sweet Peas, Dahlias and some of my own Shasta Daisies.


The Hostas this year are doing very well with little to no damage on their leaves… I think it’s partially down to there being so little rain since February but also because we’ve discovered we have a little friend visiting us… A juvenile rat, I’ve caught it on camera with a slug in its mouth and then saw it carrying a Snail. It’s been seen on a number of occasions out in the open in broad daylight; twice it’s been so close to me I could’ve easily stroked it. Silly Rattie. We’ve set up a humane trap to try to catch it but it’s too small to set it off. However I haven’t seen it for a week or so now, and fear a local cat has caught it.


And here’s Rattie…





Gaura is blooming at last, although I do miss my long-stemmed type… These smaller varieties just don’t dance in the wind.


I always think they look like dolphins riding the surf… Or, and here’s a flashback to my childhood… A movie called ‘the last unicorn’ and there’s a scene at the end where the Unicorns are freed from the sea; long story short – they’ve been driven into the sea and they’re riding on the waves… Anyway, enough of the tangent!

Ladybird Larvae!



Copyright 2011 Liz.
All rights reserved. Content created by Liz for Gwirrel’s Garden.