On Saturday we went up Ben Lomond. That
is a long way from the wildlife garden, of course, but such country
trips give ideas and make one think about what is going on in one's
local little patch. We had three seasons in one day, starting with
hot sun and ending with mist and icy wind on the summit, with those
who had gloves being pleased to put them on. On the way up the
dominant bright flower was Succisa pratensis, Devilsbit
Scabious. It was profuse, and growing thickly by the path. It would
be fun to get some to do that in my “meadow” after the long grass
is cut. I guess there would be a problem with over-fertility. When a
patch has been a town garden for over a hundred years it is likely to
have very different soil from a rough mountainside. But if you find
you have got a garden of builder's rubble and sub-soil, do not
despair. Some wild flowers will like it.
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| Water mint |
In the pond one of our last flowers to
bloom has come into flower. It is Mentha aquatica, Water Mint.
I bought one plant when the pond was new, and still it survives and
spreads, even though iris and spearwort and water lilies are much
more aggressive. In the baby-bath pond I have tried to avoid total
stagnation by installing the cheapest possible solar-powered
fountain. Thanks to playing about with depths and nozzles I have
managed to get it so that there is a jolly shower, but not a spurt
that empties all the water out. This little device cost less than
£8.00.
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| Solar-powered fountain |
On the summit of Ben Lomond there were
ravens croaking and doing free-fall stunts as they dived joyously. In
the wild-garden one morning we found a scatter of sea-gull feathers
trailing off into the bushes. I guess that such a big, powerful bird
must have been the victim of a fox, not of a domestic cat; but I am
not sure.
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| Predator at work |
On the drive we commented on how the
trees were just starting to turn yellow. Back home we are starting to
see berries replacing flowers as the most colourful things. The
Crataegus monogyna, Hawthorn, has haws, of course. But the
real glory of the autumn fruits with us is the Rosa rubiginosa,
Sweetbriar. In some years the mature hips – sometime after
Christmas – have been very attractive to greenfinches. They have
been less common in recent years, but one of the reasons for writing
this blog has been to give me an incentive to observe more closely.
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| Sweetbriar hips |
So as to help me with this observation
I have bought a very jolly toy. It is a plastic jar with a magnifying
lens in the lid. It enables us old folk with weak eyes to see little
bugs of all sorts enlarged and close up. I still don't find I can
identify any but the most common varieties.
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| Bug-box |
Once or twice in the last week I have
seen that wonderful sight of a gossamer thread catching the sun
against the background of shade, as some tiny spider uses it to float
off on its travels. I am hoping to see many spectacular webs in the
next week or two. Watch this space.
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