Gardeners' Nightmare

Continuing the gardening theme this flower/weed is a marvel of creation.

The dandelion from just one flower creates hundreds of seeds and while it can be perfect in its symmetry it is a nightmare for gardeners if allowed to grow among the flower beds. Fortunately this one was well away from my garden but once those seeds are set free on the wind, who knows where they'll end up?

Butterfly In Disguise

I was going to post a picture of a peony today the first flower of which has just opened up in our garden but then I spotted this creature on a wall about a quarter of a mile from home.

A quick Google for "camouflaged moth" brought up many similar images which lead me to believe it's a Pandora Sphinx Moth BUT as this is a North American moth I'm not absolutely certain that it would be seen in the UK so my identification may not be correct. It's certainly one that I've never knowingly seen before in these parts which is why I've titled this post "Butterfly in Disguise". So calling all lepidopterists out there, is my identification correct or not?

As Busy As ....

You should all know the continuation of "As busy as" is "a bee" and we've heard of their decline recently so it was good to see one feeding on the heather in our garden today.

According to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the UK had 27 species but 3 are now extinct and others are seriously threatened. As they are important pollinators they are vital to the human race so we should welcome them in our gardens.

Lilac Time

It's more like March than May but nature doesn't lie and lilac is adding more colour to the season. Lilac is supposed to grow best in full sun and well-drained soil but this one is doing quite well in the cold and windy conditions that prevail at the moment. Just imagine what it would look like in the optimum conditions - for myself, I just wish it was a bit warmer!

Stand Out

Here's a couple of tips from nature about how to stand out in a crowd.


Pictured on the Diver Derwent in Derby this afternoon, a white goose stands out from its country cousins from Canada, not only by sporting a different coloured coat but also by turning against the flow. Now why do I feel an affinity with that goose? Maybe it's because I've always rebelled against following the masses and tended to go my own sweet way.

Feed The Birds

Because of the continuing bad weather, people are being asked to keep an eye on their neighbours especially if they are elderly. It's also a good idea to feed the birds who are also finding hard to find food during this cold spell.


Our bird feeders are being well used and I wouldn't swear to it but is that a thrush in a neighbour' s tree?

It Wouldn't Be Christmas Without ....

There have been heavy snowfalls mainly down the eastern side of the country this week and I heard one weather forecaster say that it wouldn't be Christmas without snow. I don't think that is strictly true as a white Christmas in the UK is not that common but it set me thinking about the things that make for a modern Christmas.


For many people it isn't Christmas without hearing carols or popular songs including old favourites like Bing Crosby's "White Christmas", Harry Belafonte's "Mary's Boy Child", Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song" or Judy Garland's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". Then of course there are more recent offerings from the likes of Cliff Richard, Wham, Wizzard, the X Factor winners and not forgetting the perennial "Merry Christmas Everybody" by Slade.

For others it's a Christmas film that makes the season - "Holiday Inn", "White Christmas", "Miracle On 34th Street", "Elf", "Santa Claus - The Movie", "The Grinch" - need I go on? There's TV regulars too like the Queen's Speech, Christmas specials of popular shows, endless repeats of programmes we've seen several times before but who would miss a Morecambe and Wise Show? "The Great Escape" or "The Eagle Has Landed" will probably be on at least one channel even if it is a satellite station and many would say that it just wouldn't be Christmas without "The Sound Of Music" - again!

For yet another group of people, it's the shopping, the baking, the turkey and the stuffing, the drinking, the merry-making and the family gatherings and while all the above contribute to making a good Christmas, isn't it time this week in particular to focus on the REAL reason for the festival - the birth of Jesus? However you celebrate, don't leave "Christ" out of "Christ"mas. After all it really wouldn't be Christmas without Him.

It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One! - From 'A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens

To Chop Or Not To Chop

I am so pleased I still have this photo taken nearly two years ago of some of the trees on Chaucer Old Park ('Illy 'Oleys") as it shows a splendid example of a Horse Chestnut almost in the centre of the picture.


Since then it has been chopped right back - I think the correct word is pollarded although mutilated is another word that springs to mind - and only the main trunk is still standing. I actually saw the men working on it one day earlier this year and thought they were just pruning it but was shocked to see how severe the cut back was the following day. I guess they know what they are doing as Horse Chestnuts throughout Britain are suffering from attack by insects and bacteria but it will be a long time before this one will be able to put on such a fine display again in autumn even though there are already signs of new growth. There is hope for Horse Chestnut trees though and there is a potential cure which actually treats the symptoms without the need for cropping but sad to say, it has come too late for this particular tree.

Trees, though they are cut and lopped, grow up again quickly, but if men are destroyed, it is not easy to get them again. - Pericles (490 BC - 429 BC)

Berries

A profusion of pyracantha and rowan berries caught my eye this week alongside a busy road in Ilkeston. This is just a fraction of the total display and my first thought was that there is a wonderful harvest here to help feeds the birds throughout the winter.


I was surprised to learn though that pyracantha berries are not poisonous and although they are very bitter, they can be cooked and are edible when made into jelly. Rowan berries too are again bitter and also make excellent jelly which is usually served with meat. They have several other uses including being soaked in spirits to form a liqueur or even made into wine and an infusion of the berries can be used as a gargle for sore throats. And here I thought they were just for the birds!

In all things of nature there is something of the marvellous. - Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)