My Wild-life Garden Chapter 13. August 24th

The first sign for us that summer is nearing its end is the departure of the swifts. I do miss their shrill calls at breakfast-time, and the whir as a parent zooms into the nest hole. We also notice that it is more or less dark by nine. No more coming in from gardening at dusk to find it is 10.45. There are more reddening berries around too. The Arum maculatum, Lords-and-Ladies (Jack by the Hedge) is very spectacular, if you can be bothered to look behind the hedge.

Lords-and-Ladies

There has been so much growth recently that cutting back has become overdue. I did make a start on clearing the pond a bit. Last year I tried to do the whole thing in one go, sometime in the winter, with the result that I did my back in for days. This year the plan is “little and often”. The idea is that one dredges out superfluous growth but then leaves it where it can drain back into the water, and any displaced mini-beasts can get home.

Dredging the pond

The most numerous creature seems to be Asellus aquaticus, which is easiest described as a sort of water woodlouse. I was very pleased to find also a Caddis fly case, still inhabited. It was a beautifully neat structure, about the size of a cigarette butt, all made of evenly cut stems like tooth-brush bristles. 

I gather from my nice pond-life book that identifying precisely which species it is will be beyond me; but it seems to be some sort of Limnephilus.

While I was dredging a frog popped its head up to see what I was doing. Also I came across a magnificent spider. I identified it as Tegenaria gigantea, only to discover from the internet that it has been reclassified as Eratigena (an anagram of Tegenaria).

Eratigena, with snail for comparison

There are still lots of bees bumbling around, which is nice, and many of the flowers I have mentioned already are still doing well. I have somehow managed to bonsai the sunflowers but the nasturtiums are rampant and glowing.

Bumble-bees

I think I have said before: do not feel you have to restrict yourself to native species, but lay off the pesticides.