Mellow Fruitfulness

 Proof that it is definitely autumn is the appearance of a delicate toadstool on the lawn.

At the same time all sorts of hips and berries are turning bright red, keeping colour going even though many flowers are fading.

Different birds seem to like different berries. There was a time, in a previous garden, where greenfinches used to gorge on the rose hips. The best we can do is provide food and see what does or does not turn up. Our pears are very popular with foxes, which certainly pick off what they can reach, night after night. This reinforces the message not to use pesticides. I have this year put a barrier of netting round the small plum tree, which seems to have worked. Last year small branches were broken off!

I have recently finished digging over a small patch of lawn to make a flower bed. I was very pleased to discover plenty of centipedes. On the relevant RHS web page one of the first things it says is: "Part of a healthy garden eco-system". Their main food is the sort of bugs that eat your plants. 

The bird-life in the garden is moving on away from the spring and summer pattern. In that last week I have seen the first robin and the first coal tit noticed since April. There's lots to see if you look. Meanwhile I am not sure if the baby frogs have left the pond and immediately found excellent hiding places; I hope so. 

Late Summer

 The most obvious feature of late summer is the ripening of fruits. Gardening books have advice on how to deal with pests and diseases. I have yet to read one that advises how to dissuade a fox from taking pears and plums, usually then scattering them around with one bite taken out. However, there are still plenty of pears and plums for us. In the explicitly wild bit of the garden the brambles that have turned up behind the pond have fruited excellently this year.

There have been many more than are in this photo, but grandchildren are even more rapacious than foxes.

I did not plan to make a hedge, but the bank of earth dug while excavating the pond has become one. Two wild roses (bought), this bramble, and a raspberry (just turned up) are flourishing so much that they need cutting back. This is a happy reminder of hedging along a country lane in my childhood. Some of the not-native plants have good berries too, already. I have known this cotoneaster stripped by woodpigeons in previous years. 

So long as you never use pesticides, many non-native plants will add to the wildlife resources of a garden.

The tadpoles in our pond have not yet emerged as baby frogs. They can't be hurried. At least I am sure that they have plenty of places to hide once they do emerge. If last year's hatching is anything to go by, some of them will find our garden a place to live. 

One hazard they encounter is neighbourhood cats. One of these creatures amuses itself by touching frogs from behind and making them jump.

The small birds seem to be reluctant to go to the feeders just now - maybe it is moulting time, when they try to stay under cover. But I did happen to see a flock of long-tailed tits pass through the area; always welcome. As far as I can see they roam around, never staying in one garden for long.

Some of the flowers in the "wild" section are inspired by things I love to see on holidays. These scabious I grew from seed after coming back from Wester Ross a couple of years ago. Bumble bees seem to like them, and it is important to keep fresh blooms, with nectar and pollen, going all though the spring and summer months. (Apologies for the poor photo)

Possibly in terms of helping wild nature and biodiversity the invertebrate mini-beasts are as important as anything. There is no shortage of habitats. Our insect house may or may not house a mason bee or two in any given year, but I lifted the lid the other day and look what was sheltering there. 

There is no limit to the fun you can get from a wild-life garden.