Butterfly Forays.

It is rare for me to walk anywhere locally where I don't have to negotiate a fence or gate and there is always the anticipation of what may be found on the other side.

The semi-shaded track (above) is one route that takes me steadily upwards onto the chalk slopes of the North Downs where I recently spent a few hours in the company of hundreds of delightful black and white butterflies, the Marbled White (Melanargia galathea).

With Common Knapweed everywhere it wasn't too difficult, even with a gusty wind, to find a few obliging subjects and a seat conveniently placed to rest the weary legs and admire the wild Orchids.

Earlier this week on a dull, muggy day I decided to wander around the tracks and pathways within Horton Country Park. There are lots of fences here bordering the horse paddocks where the polo ponies and other breeds spend their time chilling out in between being ridden by their owners.

On the far side of one of the paddocks I again found the resident Little Owl (below), just discernible with the naked eye, perched on top of a fence post. [N.B. Original image heavily cropped].

The main purpose of my visit was to see what might be flying or perched in a meadow just beyond another gate and I wasn't to be disappointed. Despite the lack of sunshine there were good numbers of the expected grassland butterfly species with a few others perched on the field boundary vegetation.

Clockwise from bottom left: Small Skipper, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper and Comma.

Good numbers of the aptly named Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) were spotted dancing unhurriedly around the field margins and gateways often jostling with each other to find a sunny perch on the bramble leaves.

While back at home the first of the lilies, Lilium 'Lady Alice' are starting to open up and the resident Robin watches from his preferred fence perch.

I'll be wandering the tracks around Ashtead Common today in the hope of catching up with some other species that might come in range of the lens. FAB.

Linking to Good Fences hosted by Theresa.

After the rain....

We have had some interesting weather in recent days; sunshine, humidity with high temperatures and then intermittent electrical light shows accompanied by booming thunder claps; or as one member of the family used to say "Don't worry, it's only God moving the furniture around!" 

So for this week's Nature Notes here are a few images taken in the garden after the rain ceased.

Red Lilium (Asiatic hybrid)

Lilium 'Lady Alice'

I am often reminded by you know who that "You've been rubbing up against those Lilies again" when another clean shirt is stained with pollen!!

A fresh looking Gatekeeper took up residence amongst one of the Euonymus shrubs waiting for the sun to reappear.

One Goldfinch was quickly back on the feeder devouring a quantity of sunflower hearts before its companions arrived and leaving plenty of leftovers on the patio floor. Why do they do that when I provide a top quality product?

 Our resident Robin, my former namesake ('The Earlybirder') takes advantage of a tasty meal.

And then a brief visit by an unnamed feline; no collar to ID it; who to my knowledge didn't leave its calling card!  FAB.

Time to Celebrate the Whites.

During my time working in retail horticulture I was fortunate to work with and meet many very experienced plantsmen and plantswomen who introduced me to many different plant species not least the range of Liliums that are readily available for all situations in the garden. I recently posted images of the Pinks and Reds so in celebration of our Wedding Anniversary (37 years) today I thought it very appropriate to give some space to the Whites.

Lilium Casa Blanca grows in a shady spot but the blooms shine out in every direction like light bulbs.

Unfortunately we suffer dreadfully from the voracious attentions of the red Lily Beetle (Lilioceris lilii) as the larvae can easily decimate the foliage and sometimes even crucify the stems, seed capsules and flowers from May through to the end of September. From March onwards I can often be found searching for the adults and ensuring they meet a very quick death between my fingers but regardless of my efforts every year many still slip through the net and I therefore accept that some of the Lilies will ultimately suffer...such is the life of the gardener and his garden!

Ok not totally white but Lilium Calgary, a short stemmed upward facing variety, performs well in a pot.

Finally, the paper thin, saucer sized blooms of Hibiscus 'Red Heart' have begun to open in the last few days and soon the whole bush will be a mass of white, red centred blooms, opening and closing each day, with fresh faces appearing as the older ones fade and fall to the ground. 

The original shrub, now over 25 years old, many years ago produced masses of seedlings and I religiously potted on 50 or so in the hope of finding something different. The majority that eventually flowered reverted, as expected, to a pale bluish-mauve and one of these three seedlings (bottom image) is now blooming at the other end of the garden and reaching over seven feet into the sky. Many, of course, were given away to friends and work colleagues but nobody has reported back or admitted that their seedling produced a different colour! 

We spent a quiet relaxing day at home after my early am 'health check' (blood tests, heart rate etc. which indicated that I'm still alive and kicking subject to learning the full results in about a week!), a bit of pottering about in the garden and we had some rain this afternoon....at long last. Best of all was an enjoyable evening meal at 'The Star'.     FAB.    

Pinks and Reds.

Other commitments have kept me away from wildlife watching this week so here are a few images of the current crop of blooms from a short stroll around the garden. 

Lilium Stargazer

Lilium Black Beauty

Fuschia

If the weather holds fair then hopefully the coming week will provide some wildlife sightings to share.   FAB.

Pollen Provider.

Every time I walk past this beauty I somehow end up with a dark orange pollen patch on my sleeve!

Warning....my next post will be a lot longer than normal so be prepared to sit down with a 'cuppa' if you want to see it through to the end!

In the meantime, thanks for dropping by and have a great weekend wherever you are........FAB.

Garden Tour (Part 2)

Continuing on from the Garden Tour (Part 1)...  I cut a curved pathway into the main border some years ago in order to create a  new bed on the left for grasses but the evergreen growth on the contorted Hazel and Euonymous elatus now overpower everthing in the summer!  

This area is now more densely shaded with the widening canopy of the Hawthorn but the path leads past another evergreen Euonymous, an ever expanding carpet of blue Campanula, more Geraniums, a Deutzia, Escallonia 'Apple Blossom' (severely in need of some sunshine!) to the Buddleia 'Nanho Blue' and then

the fragrant white blooms on the Philadelphus 'Innocence'. I had planned to buy a rustic iron chair so that I could sit at the end of the path but I'm not sure there is actually enough room even to stand any more!

Behind the greenery is the 'grass bed' with Stipa arundinacea and Calamagrostis 'Overdam' interplanted with Alliums (long since gone to seed), a self seeded Verbena bonariensis (not doing too well at the moment) and the colourful Heleniums that attract all manner of flying insects during the summer. 

Next is the former 'fruit cage' now used to store various pots, some with spring bulbs and the larger containers used for growing Tomatoes plus the compost bins. Another job on the 'to do list' is to build a raised bed in the centre, so that we can start producing some food for the table, as the ever extending roots from the nearby Betula 'Hergest' (birch) run close to the surface and makes planting nearly impossible.

A few of the more recent plants to bloom; (clockwise) Lilium henryi, Tritelia laxa (probably Queen Fabiola) peeps out from behind a white Lavender, a pink Phlox and Lilium 'Golden Slendour'. There are a few more Lillies in pots alongside the path which will hopefully produce some other colours very soon. 

Beyond the fruit cage is another garden shed and then two matching Whichford Pots (a retirement present from the pottery) either side of the steps that lead up onto the more recently paved patio area at the far end of our 75 x 20 foot garden. 

As the garden faces north-west this area is shady for most of the morning due to the high canopy of the birch and  I can often find Anita relaxing and reading in the shade. As the sun moves around we can enjoy its rays later in the day while scanning the sky for any passing avian species and on cloudless nights even a bit of star gazing. The floor space seems to get smaller year by year as the surrounding plants expand and more pots of Sempervivums find there way up here.

The bottom boundary fence is planted up with Itea ilicifolia that produces long green-white pendant catkins, Actinidia kolomikta with its two-tone foliage, Clematis 'Lemon Bells' (a late flowerer), Rose 'Gloire De Dijon' whose buff-yellow blooms have disappeared into outer space hunting for sunlight and in the corner  Indigofera himalayensis 'Silk Road' - one puff of wind and the floor is covered with its delicate purple-pink pea like flowers.

I hope you enjoyed this long awaited two part tour of our small suburban garden ... so different from the spaces on either side of us......FAB.

Garden Tour (Part 1).

We are already into mid July and I realised that I had not posted a garden update for two months plus I did start to redraw a more detailed plan of the garden with the intention of posting that also but it is still lying in the 'to be finished' file. Anyway I have taken a few pictures over the past few weeks and hopefully they will convey something of the layout, for those of my readers that may be interested (Cheryl, Jenny, Jan, and Shirleyanne come to mind), but please don't beat me up if I haven't mentioned you by name!  

Immediately outside the back door is a roofed patio (approx 20' x 10') enclosed on both sides. On the left by our neighbours fence and on the right is next doors extention where Clematis Cezanne, a dwarf variety, sits in a small trough on a low wall and climbs just about two feet covered in blooms. Unfortunately due to the lack of water while we were away on holiday it now looks a little sorry for itself! I didn't photograph the patio with its old wooded bench with seats as the area is currently being used to store everything we can't find a home for somewhere else! 

Stepping down onto the garden path with a garden shed on the left behind which the water butt is now nearly camouflaged by one of the ferns surrounded by Geraniun nodsum and Dicentra 'Stuart Boothman'. The Blue Tit nest box is situated above the water butt and I opened it up a few days ago to find one deceased juvenile left behind but at least the other fledglings have been visiting the feeders quite regularly. Alchemilla mollis and Hellebores have self seeded in every conceivable crack either side of the path. On the right is our tiny lawn with a dry shingle river bed leading to a sunken water fountain now completely overshadowed by spreading Geraniums. Sisyrinchium striatum 'Aunt May' planted in the shingle is just going over and the clump for some reason is slowly reducing in size year by year so I'm not sure if it will survive another winter. 

The 'tear-drop' shaped lawn is shaded in the early morning so a pleasant spot to sit with Roses (Mme. Alfred Carriere and Compassion) seeking out the sunshine high above the fence plus a Jasmine providing some gentle fragrance. Clematis montana flowers very early and then is followed by Clematis texensis 'Pagoda' with its small purple-pink nodding blooms. The large flowered blue Clematis (name long forgotten hangs onto the ivy that smothers the clothes line post and just starting to errupt is the much darker Clematis 'Polish Spirit' that always clambers high up into the Prunus and the Hawthorn. 

N.B. This is the only part of the garden that was actually planned. The original design and planting scheme was done by a work colleague way back in 1997. It was one of her first commissions and she is now a highly respected Horticultural Advisor, writer and garden designer. I didn't follow the plan exactly and needless to say much of the original planting has changed as I generally allow the plants to decide who wants to be where.   

Behind the water feature is an Ulmus parvifolia 'Geisha'. Exceptionally slow growing with tiny small green/grey leaves edged white. I have just checked that it prefers sun to light shade so perhaps it needs to be moved as it is only growing in one direction!

Behind the lawn the upright Prunus and particularly the ever spreading Hawthorn (Cretaegus laevigata 'Plena') now cast shade over what was originally a sunny border and I now need to rethink some of the planting. On the fringes are Pittosporum 'Tom Thumb', various Geraniums, Hibiscus 'Hamabo' just starting to flower and a large clump of Echinops 'Taplan Blue' which the bees just adore.  

  A short stemmed white Lilium in a pot stands at the beginning of a small path....to be continued....FAB.

Pollen Providers during July

Throughout July there have been many colourful blooms in our garden but also a good supply of pollen - food for the bees, butterflies etc.

Small patch of Helenium (taken earlier in July) that now needs dead heading to promote some secondary blooms & a good location for capturing the occassional butterfly that perches (see previous posts). Hibiscus syriacus, a deciduous shrub that prefers full sun on well drained soil but we have heavy 'London' clay. Over the 10 - 20 years since they were first planted they have become overshadowed by other trees and are not producing quite the volume of blooms as in the past.

Top L - H. Hamabo; Top R - H. Red Heart;

Bottom L & R - A seedling of H. Red Heart that as usual reverted to produce mauve-blue flowers.

Clematis (possibly Polish Spirit?) now climbing high into the Prunus & Hawthorn.

Despite the problem of the Lily Beetle I still enjoy growing Liliums. Many are grown in pots but a couple of clumps of Lilium Golden Splendour, Casa Blanca, Lady Alice & the turkscap Black Beauty are now performing well directly planted in the garden but all need supporting as they grow quite tall. (L. Golden Splendour now reaches over 6 feet!)

Top L - L. Casa Blanca; Top R - L. Black Beauty

More Liliums

Top L - L.Calgary; Bottom L - L.Lady Alice; Bottom R - L.Golden Splendor

One of many bees enjoying the Echinops.

Dahlia with plenty of pollen for a passer by.
Now all we need is some continuous sunshine for more blooms to appear and provide food for the bees, butterflies and bugs that might pay us a visit.