Here’s a few photos of things that have been happening in the garden recently. Peace and tranquility in a suburban garden. English cottage garden style, wildflower areas, a little bit wild. Hedgehog recently in residence, slugs not.
One particular wildflower that has made itself comfortable in my front garden last year is the Bladder Campion, Silene Vulgaris. Its leaves are not particularly impressive or attractive (though eaten, I’m told, in some parts of the Mediterranean) it is its flowers I find most charming. Waving about in clusters on tall stems they put me in mind of wind socks. For fairies coming in to land, perhaps? Or a fairy’s bloomers. Other common names are Catchfly, Rattle Bags, and Fairy Potatoes. One weed I shall be happy to make room for.
Our garden is full of bees at this time of year. They come for the perennial geraniums, cotoneaster, and erysimum Bowles Mauve, seen here. This plant is one of my ‘indestructibles’, and something that everyone should make a little space for. It’s in flower from May to November and is constantly visited by bees and butterflies. Easy to take cuttings from too, so lots of free plants next year!
A bee’s eye view of a foxglove
These two damselflies obligingly posed for the camera on an oak leaf before fluttering off.
I was fortunate early one morning to witness the emergence of a red damselfly from its nymph form. A damselfly spends much of its life living underwater as a ‘nymph’, emerging after a year to slough off its old skin to reveal the adult damselfly within. My water irises have several cast-off ‘skins’ (more accurately exoskeletons) clinging to the stems in rigor mortis. I prefer to think of them as old coats left behind in a cloakroom, never to be collected.
There are more photos of the emerging damselfly here.
I especially love the picture of the emerging Dragonfly! I saw this happen by a pond I had in the 1980’s once, it was typically I think at dawn. I sat down throughout the wing drying phase too, they are very vulnerable to birds.
Yes, it’s very easy to sit down and watch wildlife; before you know it half the day has gone!
Magic! Gorgeous photos. Thank you for sharing your lovely garden full of life of all sorts.
Thanks Val! Watch this space, I hope do a few more posts from the garden throughout the year.
Will certainly look forward to that and your entire blog is full of interest and beautiful things and places. Always look forward to seeing your latest post.
A garden filled with bees is one of my favorite things. Beautiful photos.
You can never have too many bees.
A fascinating book about bumblebees is “A Sting in the Tale” by Dave Goulson.
Gorgeous photos – especially love the bees’ eye view of the foxglove, and the red damselfly on the rabbits ear.
Perhaps you could offer some tips on keeping my garden slug free? (Apart from finding a hedgehog!)
Looking forward to the next selection of gorgeous photos.
Thanks Sue, I have an ingenious contraption for keeping slugs off young plants – I’ll post photos of it in the next blog.