It, course, irresistible to take photos
of snowdrops. But if anyone doubted that it is still winter, here is
a photo of the pond yesterday morning with a thin layer of ice on it.
My plan is to remove yet more vegetation before serious growth,
frogspawn and so on get started.
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| Ice on the pond |
The most enjoyable wildlife in the
garden just now all congregates at the bird feeders. In fact the
siskins are getting through sunflower at a terrific rate. Half a
dozen come every day and work hard at busy pecking.
However, the plants are beginning to
show signs that spring is on its way. One of the things we try to do
is have plenty of possible habitats around the garden. There is an
area between the totally non-functional hedge and the real garden
wall where I put all sorts of woody clippings and prunings. There is a
small pile of sticks which is deliberately made of fairly solid
branches so that there is a lot of space is between them – big enough for a
wren's nest, I like to think. There is another pile of more
indiscriminate woody clippings, old brambles and such like. Surely no
hunting cat or fox could get in there. There are plenty of places
where dead leaves are left. There are two impenetrable ivy thickets.
One shrub which I know the sparrows like to chatter in is kept fairly
large and tangled.
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| Stick pile |
Part of the fun is to add extras. There
are some old boots hung up inside the thickets. I have two nesting
boxes. One of my favourites is an old terracotta planter, unusably
broken, which has been left under the honey-suckle. The pond, is of
course, a special artificial habitat.
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| Might this be a house for a toad one day? |
I must admit that some of these – the
nest boxes for example – don't seem to attract inhabitants. Birds
nest in other places and no hedgehog has yet arrived. However, it is
very important for the wild-life gardener not to think solely in
terms of the cuddly or colourful headline makers. I have mentioned
before the excellent “Wildlife of a garden; A thirty year study”
by Jennifer Owen. Hers was a serious academic exercise and her
records include over 50 species of hoverfly, more than a score of
species of sawfly, over 400 species of ichneumen wasps, and so on. I
have not written down precise numbers, because they vary from year to
year. The point is that a healthy population of wildlife includes all
these humble, neglected or despised creatures. My dead leaves are, I
am sure, of use to them.
Not to mention the moss. I cannot identify it, but it looks nice, and all sorts of creatures make use of it.
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| Moss on the sundial |
The bee-house sat empty for two years,
but now has attracted mason bees. As for the crack in the pointing
used by swifts: I do hope no one ever fills it up.
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| Bee-house with mason bees |
As I write it is starting to snow. Just to repeat my main point from previous blogs: Please do not use pesticides.
