Something that is missing from this forum

hedgewizard · Mon Mar 13, 2006 9:03 pm

We're on the edge of a wood so we see all sorts of stuff here - bought a book on birds (mostly for the jays) but no binocs yet!

Every year we buy something based on an animal we've had in the garden, starting the year we moved in. So far we have a leather bat hanging from rafters, a barn owl made from a teazel sitting on a beam and a quillwork chicken perched on a painting. Can't think where I'm going to get a glow worm ornament, though!

Millymollymandy · Tue Mar 14, 2006 7:18 am

arrgghh that just took about 2 mins to open up 'post a reply'!

So did you find a 'wild' chicken in your garden then?

Here is an interesting and informative link to the A-Z of a wildlife garden from the RSPB site.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/gardens/guide/index.asp

hedgewizard · Tue Mar 14, 2006 10:34 am

Wild? They were furious!

Hmm - that site's missing glow worms. We get a few every year...

Millymollymandy · Tue Mar 14, 2006 12:22 pm

I didn't know you could get them in the UK! I saw a few in my last garden over near Geneva. Did you take that photo?

hedgewizard · Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:55 am

The photo was taken at Portland which isn't far from here, tho not by me. If you view the image properties you can see the site URL. We don't see many of them but treasure the ones we see, like a little radioactive spark they are. There were lots of them when we were down in Normandy year before last.

LynneBee · Post: # 14310Post **LynneBee** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 3:57 pm

well once you get to know me you will find out that I am an absolute nut over wildlife and birds especially. I am a very lucky lady as I get visiting my garden foxes, (no chickens to harm)deer, moose and bats, as well as a very very long list of different birds and butterflies and reptiles and amphibians. I am totally green in that I will never poison the garden I leave it up to nature.

I also have a very varied selection of wild flowers in my garden from cowslips to purple orchids, violets to lupins. I am such a nut that I am afraid I have been known to tell people of when they complain about what they see as problems in their gardens from wildlife. And please never call a wildflower a weed in front of me

ok of my soap box

Millymollymandy · Wed Mar 15, 2006 5:49 pm

Hey you will get on well with me! I have decided to let the insects do what they want in the hope that the beneficial insects and other things will keep them at bay. I am not going to use 'organic' poisons just because they are made from plants. Last year I had loads of cabbage white butterfly but hardly any problem with caterpillars and I had baby frogs living under my lettuce, which I'm sure were eating them too.

OK so I have a veg patch big enough to lose some things to the 'nasty' bugs and I was going spare over the flea beetle last summer, but I have just decided not to bother with cabbage which gets ravaged by it, but to grow other things instead.

I love all the wildlife (have red squirrels and hedgehogs but no moose!), butterflies (saw some Brimstone butterflies today!!) wild flowers, everything, even those naughty caterpillars and the moles which make a complete mess of the lawn! And especially my birdies.

hedgewizard · Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:12 pm

Red squirrels! *sighs*

I'm not totally organic but I don't poison stuff unless my back's REALLY up against the wall. It's early days but paying attention to predator habitat seems to have worked so far. The polytunnel will be a different matter though, because it's a sealed system (nearly). Applied biocontrols may be the order of the day in there.

Moose! *gasps and clutches all soft greenery in protective manner*

Muddypause · Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:43 pm

Are there no red squirrels left in Dorset, Hedgie? There were when I was a lad - but that's a while ago now. Maybe still on Branksea Island, which, IIRC had no grey squirrels.

hedgewizard · Thu Mar 16, 2006 12:26 am

No, we're all over greys and there are lots of the buggers. We have a mature walnut tree here and last year the score was me 6 : squirrels 294ish. Keeping the little bastards off isn't feasible but I'm not prepared to shoot them over a few nuts... unless I'm going to eat the squirrels, and I'm not brave enough. Yet. *waggles warning finger at squirrels*

Shelle · Post: # 14897Post **Shelle** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:43 am

mmm just wanted to share with you my morning ....

woke up to rain (so lovely and soaking for my garden) - having my first morning coffee & looked out the front window to see two kookaburra's ... one on the letterbox & one on the veranda ... watch them for ages (made myself late for work!).

http://www.holotropik.com/Images/Kookaburra.jpg

i love nature - even learning to appreciate spiders

hedgewizard · Tue Mar 21, 2006 10:12 am

Whoa!

Let's not get carried away here!

Millymollymandy · Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:14 am

Ahhhh I love Kookaburras! That's a great photo Shelle. Happy for you to get rain too. You are lucky in Oz with all those really interesting and colorful birds you get. Mind you whilst I like spiders round here there aren't any poisonous ones to contend with, though I did get a nasty spider bite on my neck whilst I was asleep last summer!

Yesterday was the first official day of Spring and my first daffodil opened up properly, at long last! We have the first early season butterflies around, called Brimstones. They are yellow.

Shelle · Post: # 15026Post **Shelle** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 12:05 am

wow mmm just looked up Brimstone Butterflies - they are beautiful. I have noticed butterflies with blue on them flying around here - unsure exactly what they are but amazing all the same (they just catch my eye) ... i have been fortunate enough to have a butterfly land on my chest while walking through a park in Melbourne - such an moment that is burned into my memory as very special :)