Himalayan Balsam

This invasive plant was introduced in the 18 hundreds . They were brought over as an ornamental flower as they were cheap and easy to propagate . It’s becoming a serious threat as it attracts our bees and stops them pollinating our native crops and flowers .

They are also ruining our streams and rivers as they loosen up the banks as they rot down , making them corrode away .

I urge you all to please if you see them whilst out and about on your walks , to pull them up .

Try and do it early summer before they set seed as they are spreading quickly

Wildlife Camera Sightings

So finally got back from Devon and what’s the first thing I want to do ? You’ve guessed it … look and see what my camera has captured! Well here goes …. a wood pigeon a squirrel a magpie the usual suspect cat , I wonder what he’s up to ? And at last- the one I was hoping for… a fox! We’ve reset the camera at a different angle in the hope of getting more close-ups and clearer pictures of these lovely animals…watch this space!

Greenway and Dittisham

An amazing and ridiculously dog friendly place to go!

First we started off at “greenway ” – a national trust park which was Agatha Christie’s holiday Home and the location where John Suchard’s Poirot was filmed.

Surrounded by beautiful scenery and dogs are allowed anywhere including formal gardens. The only place they’re not allowed is the house itself .

It is quite hilly but well worth the views you get . The staff are really friendly almost like a family and you are made to feel very welcome . Easily lose a good few hours . But must warn you parking has to be prebooked in advance . National trust members totally free .

Next stop ferry to Dartmouth and back just a two minute drive from greenway . You can board a ferry and take a 1 hour ferry to Dartmouth and back . Yet again dogs allowed for free .

A very nice leisurely cruise . You can see agatha christies house plus the royal naval college where prince Philip first met the queen and a viaduct built for the steam trains ( still in use and also dog friendly ) by Isambard kingdom Brunel .

And when you finally get off the ferry . Why not get straight on another boat to dittisham . Yep you guessed it dog friendly . Two minutes across the river . A really small village with lots of trails to discover . Or if you have older dogs just visit the local pub “FBI ” fishing boat inn. It’s very small but the staff are incredibly friendly again .

It’s not a posh place , in fact it was like going back in time but well worth a visit to get a real Devon experience .

Tomorrow is the pirate festival at Brixton . Watch this space to see what we get up to!

Baddacombe bay

Only been here in Devon ten minutes and we’ve already had our 1st doggy adventure . We took the lift down to the beach where there is a bar and restaurant- really lovely with all amenities catered for .

And as for the scenery … what else can I say ? Beautiful!

Wildlife Night Camera

So I’ve taken the plunge… I’ve decided to get a Wildlife Camera.

I’m up at 3.30 every morning and I always hear noises outside, and I’m hoping I will be able to capture the culprits .

I’m suspecting they are foxes as they are digging up holes near my compost bin .

So I’m hoping to capture these lovely animals on camera. Maybe even some cubs if I’m lucky. If I do, I will be sure to update you all!

I think it’s a shame that our native mammal is classed as vermin … what do you think?

Devil’s Coachman

Ever seen one of these in your garden ?

This a a Devil’s Coachman.

These are very good natural pesticide . They eat slugs , spiders, fly larvae and other invertebrates .

It’s rare you’ll see them in the day as they’re nocturnal and like to hide in damp crevices or rotting wood .

If you go to touch one it will rear its hind quarters like a scorpion and opens its jaw and it can give a nasty bite if it’s really threatened .

However they are a real gardeners friend so be glad you’ve got them in your garden.

“The Violet Ground Beetle ”

This less aggressive beetle has similar tastes to the devils coachman and will also feed on carrion (dead animals) – which is great for us because it gets rids of waste.

Females lay their eggs in soil and the larvae emerge as active feeders themselves.

Image result for violet ground beetle larvae — Violet Ground Beetle Larvae

I never said all nature was beautiful . But there is a balance where everything has its role to play. So remember that if you see these creatures in your garden, don’t hurt them, they are there to help!

Save our Bees

Why isn’t more being done to save our bees ? Neonicotinoids are believed to result in a decline of the queen bees’ life span in colonies. This causes stress on worker bees to almost constantly raise a queen bee, leading them to try and forage while too young and to often die from this dangerous task.
The truth is that without the bee to pollinate our flowers , trees and crops we will starve .

What makes things worse is it’s all our fault Pesticides!

So the only thing we can do is ,

do our bit . Planting bee friendly plants as in my previous blog . But also reduce or stop the use of chemicals .

If you have got a medium sized garden try to loosen up on the weeding as these are a vital natural food source . Or maybe dedicate one small section of your garden to allow those ugly weeds that the bees need to feed well .

Oh and please leave some water out even just a small dishful can make all the difference!

Cats in the Garden

I love cats I really do . But I wish people would put bells on them . They’re a really good predator and it’s a scary time for the birds as they’re rushing around building nests , roosting or even rearing chicks .

I’ve been sat I the garden today and I’ve seen lots of species of bird . Long tailed tits , blue tits . Wrens which are nesting in my garden . The mischievous starlings are back and they always seem up to no good and I always fill the bird bath up as they love a good bath . Sparrows are always in but all the birds are wary of the hooligan magpies . And my latest cheeky friend is a robin who seems to have been watching Tony blackbird feeding on mealworms from the table.

I have a large amount of feeders all over the garden offering all sorts of tasty treats to encourage as many birds as possible . Mixed seed . Fat blocks . Peanuts and Niger seeds .

Why don’t you try and find time over the weekend to see how many different birds you can see . I was only out for five minutes and I saw all of these including the usual collared doves and woodpigeons practicing karate on each other in their fight for territory !!!

Gnomezilla

I don’t like garden gnomes. I don’t know if you could tell.

Luckily, I have a new friend in my garden that takes care of the problem for me.

Meet… GNOMEZILLA

Scary, right?

It’s the perfect gnome-haters garden gnome. And you can get yourself one right > here <

He’s now sitting very proudly at the back of my garden ready to tackle any of those pesky creatures who wander in. Don’t worry though, he doesn’t attack any of the other wildlife in the garden!

Pigeon Alert

Now this photo may look a little strange but I got the inspiration for this from something I’ve seen .

Im a huge lover of wildlife but I’m afraid the common pigeon is a pest . So this is an experiment to see if I can stop them making a nuisance of themselves .

The odd one I don’t mind but if you let one in your soon over run . I’m just hoping the wood pigeons and collared doves figure it out .