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Post by snowowl on Jul 16, 2007 14:13:10 GMT
Oh its a good job you saw him before he put his boots back on nightowl.
He would have had a bit of a shock. ;D
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Post by Plocket on Jul 16, 2007 17:25:13 GMT
Oh bless him Nightowl! You're lucky to have him  I spotted a couple of tadpoles in the water garden today - the others left ages ago so these two (or are there more?) must be the runts!! |
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Post by Dutchy on Jul 16, 2007 17:50:11 GMT
Hi Duchy. I assume the butterfly with the peacock eyes on its wings would be what we call (surprise!) a Peacock! Are its upper wings mainly dark red with flashy black and gold markings on the leading edge?? As for the orange brown ones, not so easy, there are loads. Does it have very raggedy wings? Comma butterfly. Is it mainly brown with just a bit of pale orange and a dark spot on the wing tips? Meadow Brown. Fritillaries (various)- chequerboard effect. Oh, there's just toooo many to list. can you get a photo? Nightowl, sorry I did not react any sooner. Nice toad btw ;D The ones I have in the garden are these     The photos are not mine and for those who like wildlife pics here is the site I copied them from www.lorenzonatura.com/Home.htm |
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Post by Plocket on Jul 16, 2007 18:11:24 GMT
I love seeing butterflies. I haven't seen a Red Admiral for years though - are they becoming scarce?
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Post by thecleaninglady on Jul 16, 2007 18:21:54 GMT
I had a tiny froglet in my car yesterday. I had collected some pots of plants from my friend as I am 'minding 'them while she is on holiday. He must have been in one of the pots. Anyway, I placed the plastic sheet he was on, onto the garden and away he hopped. Hopefully he will join the other frogs who visit from the garden pond over next door.
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Post by nightowl on Jul 16, 2007 18:36:51 GMT
Oh its a good job you saw him before he put his boots back on nightowl. He would have had a bit of a shock. ;D Ummm...no Snowowl,.... he didn't see him before he tried to put his boot on.  Not sure who got the biggest shock! ;D ;D Toady was lucky not to be flattened. Plocket's tadpoles, bit strange that innit? And Dutchy, I never thought about Painted Lady. (top one) I know they hit Europe in big "swarms" at times but I've never seen them around here. And the good old faithfuls, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell. I thought Red Admirals were becoming scarce Plocket, but in the mild Autumn we had last year I was seeing them all over the place, right up into December!!!  |
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Post by nightowl on Jul 16, 2007 18:39:19 GMT
I had a tiny froglet in my car yesterday. I had collected some pots of plants from my friend as I am 'minding 'them while she is on holiday. He must have been in one of the pots. Anyway, I placed the plastic sheet he was on, onto the garden and away he hopped. Hopefully he will join the other frogs who visit from the garden pond over next door. Aww. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy when you've helped a little creature, doesn't it?  |
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Post by Plocket on Jul 17, 2007 8:18:52 GMT
Oh that's good to hear Nightowl - about the Red Admirals I mean. We get plenty of Peacocks, Holly Blues and Painted Ladies so I'll keep my eyes open!
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Post by nightowl on Jul 17, 2007 10:23:46 GMT
Oh lucky you Plocket, getting Blues of any kind, they like chalk downland generally, and here is sandy heathland, so I only see them when we go to the Downs.  |
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Post by Plocket on Jul 17, 2007 12:57:03 GMT
We've got lots of open land near us although I doubt it's chalky - we have a lot of clay around here - I don't think Holly Blues are that fussed by the soil though. We've got holly trees and dogwood (which they also like apparently) outside our garden wall so I guess they are attracted to them. They really are very pretty little butterflies |
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Post by Dutchy on Jul 17, 2007 18:02:31 GMT
The little blue ones that frequent my garden are a variety that lives in fields and shrubs we call it a (direct translation)Little Woodland Blue.
The one on top we call Little Fox.
As the Peacockfeathers Eye ( close to the English name that one ) and the oops don't know that name even in Dutch they all are regulars.
The Butterflies love the Verbena Bonariensis.
I still have visiting frogs and newts in the pond and we have an owl. Not actually staying in the Garden but it has scared the whatsit out off me twice now by silently gliding past my head and we have seen it all days past week. It is one of the big ones with tufted ears. ( It once landed on the pergola as I stood underneath it. We looked eachother in the eye and the owl decided it was not love at first sight and flew off into the contorted willow, took a second glance at me, not edible either, and left. )
That was a real thrill. I hope it wants to stay and maybe find a mate next year and breed.
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Post by nightowl on Jul 18, 2007 9:22:05 GMT
Oh Duchy, what a fantastic experience with the Owl!!!  Hope he hangs around for you. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2007 9:38:15 GMT
I haven't had anything exciting in my garden - I'm suburban and very small garden so even if there were something, I'd probably blink and miss it as it passed through! But when I was at my Mums one of my brothers realised that there was something going on in the shed.. and we found that a Sparrow hawk had got itself trapped inside! There's a video of it here: www.thamesvalleybirds.co.uk/showthread.php?t=570But I did spot both a male and female stag beetle... I haven't seen either for years and suddenly I saw 2 within a week of each other!   |
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Post by nightowl on Jul 18, 2007 10:19:15 GMT
 LL62! Nearly fell off the sofa when that loomed out of the screen at me! Not that I've got anything against Stag Beetles, just wasn't expecting it! I haven't seen one for years either. Great vid of the sparrowhawk, glad he got out safely.
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Post by Plocket on Jul 18, 2007 10:33:53 GMT
EEEEEKKKK! You should warn us before posting piccies like that LadyLouise!!!!! ;D Fabulous pictures though, and how lucky to see staggies. I haven't seen any for years, and I think my brother was pulling the legs off the last one I saw |
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Post by Chuckles on Jul 18, 2007 10:39:57 GMT
Wow just had a look back on this thread, it's amazing what we all get in the garden really and some fab pics too.
Guess theres always something lurking around that we don't see, bit scarey really but exciting at the same time ;D
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2007 11:25:08 GMT
Sorry peeps for scaring you all... I didn't really think I am just so excited to have seen them for the first time in 30 years... and in my garden!! Although they look scary initially they don't when you seen them trundle across the grass... they are not exactly agile! In fact, although they can give you a nip if you stress them out, you have to practically offer yourself to them. Also, they don't appear to eat (although some think they may eat sap), so they won't eat you. You have to feel sorry for them - they spend 3-7 years eating dead wood as a grub, hatch out in May/June as an adult , "get jiggy with it" and then die by August. What a life!!!! |
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Post by snowowl on Jul 18, 2007 11:39:27 GMT
What a wonderfull video of the sparrowhawk.And great shots of the stag beetle.
They are not so easy to find nowdays.
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Post by Shrubrose on Jul 18, 2007 17:23:53 GMT
I have never yet seen a staghorn beetle, though we have loads of woodpiles around the place. So lucky, lucky you, LL. They're fearsome looking creatures though aren't they! That poor sparrowhawk looked terrified. Bet he was glad to get away.
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Post by oldmoleskins on Jul 19, 2007 15:33:47 GMT
Teasle (teazle?) patch is coming on a treat, ready for green or goldfinches, but today, just getting a little colour, it's alive with bumbles:   OM |
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Post by Plocket on Jul 19, 2007 16:07:24 GMT
That looks fabulous OM - I just hope the goldfinches appreciate it |
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Post by Chuckles on Jul 23, 2007 22:03:59 GMT
Must start getting my camera out again not taken many pics lately This is a new visitor to the garden and I now see it quite frequently. Think it's a young female Black Bird, it's thrown me a bit with the freckles   Here it is again having a bath in the battered old Jam Pan I have filled with water. It's looking at me as if to say " Do you mind I'm trying to bath here"  My little sparrows  Another frequent visitor, usually with its mate, but not today  |
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Post by torontotrini on Jul 24, 2007 3:09:39 GMT
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Post by Shrubrose on Jul 24, 2007 6:32:30 GMT
All fab photos TT. Especially like the butterflies feeding from the buddleia - gorgeous.
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Post by purplejulia on Jul 24, 2007 19:18:42 GMT
Chuckles - I love the photos of birds you have taken. I can never get close enough and my camera not up to it. We have two friendly blackbirds and a robin that comes into the garden. On the big birdwatching day earlier this year we had 4 jays in our garden during the hour I was counting. I have not had so many since. Yesterday morning I caught sight of two foxes having a play session in the garden like 2 puppies. Needless to say I got my camera out and they were gone!  Here is one I tried earlier (just a joke you won't see the fox hiding in the shrubber next to an old dustbin!  PJ |
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Post by Shrubrose on Jul 24, 2007 19:55:12 GMT
Ere, ere, what's this then?
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Post by Juliet on Jul 29, 2007 22:10:27 GMT
I have about 150 of these on my Nasturtiums:  And a few of these too:  Just as well I don't grow cabbages! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2007 22:44:20 GMT
I've now concluded a 3 year trial and am absolutely convinced that far from being "complimentary" such flowers attract rather than divert pests to a brassica crop.
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Post by JennyWrenn on Jul 30, 2007 5:47:01 GMT
Stunning photos of the Birdies Chuckles - they made my morning - reminds me have to go out and feed them Although I have "something large" that visits each night and eats up what they leave - I cant think what it could be - it has made a huge hole under my fence jenny x |
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Post by nightowl on Jul 30, 2007 7:21:59 GMT
I have about 150 of these on my Nasturtiums: And a few of these too: Just as well I don't grow cabbages! I know a Cabbage White caterpillar when I see one, but have you any idea what the plain green ones are? Not seen them before, but they're well camouflaged aren't they?? |
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