I think it’s also called hawkweed too (fox and cubs) with a Latin name Pilosella aurantiaca? You can mow the flowers off and they come again, what few bees are left love them.
@wheelsonfire yes, I see that on the Google. The bees are on other flowers at the moment, maybe they will move on to them as more come out.
It's fascinating, they would have been mowed and never flowered in the past. Same with the Speedwell
Our actual wildflower project area is being put to shame
There’s an article in “The Observer” today, usually there’s a link that I email to myself and then post up here, but not today! It’s about embracing “weeds” and promoting a book that sounds quite good - the article is entitled “A sign of Hope” and the book is -
GUARDIANBOOKSHOP.COM There is hope, but I think years of perfectly mown lawns, with weed and moss killer sprayed everywhere, have been ingrained into a certain generation. I actually am part of that generation, but realised many years ago (when insects and wild creatures were declining), that change was needed and have embraced it.
Small changes that people can make (if they have a garden) will make a difference.
Bad photo, but this is our first common damsel fly.
Might have missed the boat this year but we have a couple of areas where I think we can create wildflower spaces without it acting as a dog poo hiding zone. We've already had some success with bee friendly stuff as well but could do better with this stuff I'm sure.
One of the target areas is a raised bed that's just a mess of non flowering weeds. Any suggestions for late flowering stuff that we could populate it with? I've got some time today and next weekend to get bits in.
Not too late to set seeds, three for starters - Calendula (marigold), cosmo, eschscholzia (California poppies). Or radishes and rocket and let them go to seed. Do well on a dry bed
Edit - Cosmos, not Cosmo!
I've a bit of a dilemma at the mo. I have a bullace (brill early season flowerer for insects), but it's being rivalled by a dogwood at the mo.
Not too sure which to keep? Any suggestions?
Really pleased with how our front lawn is going. 2 summers ago the folk who lived here were full-on lawncare enthusiasts who used it as a practice putting green. Now we have a couple of varieties of clover, some birds foot trefoil, buttercups and a couple of other things I can't identify, all from a bit of masterful neglect. It doesn't look like a wildflower meadow but it's now home to a whole host of wee beasties.
I scraped back a bit of turf and popped in some seed balls earlier this year more in hope than expectation. Theres some different foliage there but no flowers as yet, but this is early days here in the North!
Native cranesbill (geranium), foxgloves, scabious, verbena, salvias, sea holly and (controversial) a buddleia bush, lavender and raspberries all loved by bees.
We've left one part of the garden wild for a couple of years. Keep the nettles down with a strimmer but otherwise leave it to whatever grows. We've plans to seed some more insect/animal friendly stuff later this year, but one thing you notice is how full of life it is...
Re nettles, we pull ours out with gloves on and put them in a bin of water to soak and make nettle tea. It is excellent for feeding plants. It smells like cow poo so put a lid on!
You can do it with comfrey too, excellent feed. I have read seaweed tea is also good if you are coastal
Friends of mine made a little fence to go around a wild space, nothing massive just a few metres. The fence keeps the dog out and looks great with the grasses and plants poking through, flowers and whatnot. With the lawn trimmed up to the edge it looks classy
LH3.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM Our front garden, with neighbour’s on the left that I mow for him, and part of our back garden below the woodland and a huge honeysuckle that has taken over an old pear. Both lots of grass are very different, fine and wavy at the front and courser at the back, flowers coming on the grass and amongst it now.
THEGUARDIAN.COM While we're on the subject of pesticides, my smallholder neighbour sent me this little gem of good news about pesticide residues in horse manure. I had never heard of it before but as I was about to get a trailer load for my veg patch it was timely. Needless to say, I won't be getting it now
Suburban front garden mini-meadow has come on nicely in its second year, less dominated by clover this June. The yellow rattle has also thrived, so that's kept some of the grasses back in specific patches. If I can get even one neighbour on the street to also give it a shot, I'll consider it a bit of a victory!
It was a heavily managed short grass lawn before, but crucially the estate was originally built on chalk grassland (I know!) so there were some nice species in the seed bank to start working with.
June 16th blooms day
I've got a coupe of patches I can leave, but most of the grass is being taken over by soft rush. It's not that soft, actually pretty spiky, grows three times quicker than anything else, spreads by rhizomes and if I let it get as far as seeding, there's 5,000 seeds per seed head.
I'd love to leave it for longer and give more of the flowers a chance, but I'll have 90% soft rush in no time. If it was pretty and/or useful to anything but itself, I'd be happy, but it it's neither! Any ideas?
It's quite an interesting plant, very good for wildlife and it has been used for tea making and mats!
I'd keep it but dog some out each year to control it
You could take up some of the lawn and sow a clover or herb lawn. I'm not an expert, but there will be someone who could advise you a bit better,
Is that common spotted orchid?
I’m not sure what it is, I thought it was early purple? The leaves do have spots on them and it’s similar to the ones around the limestone areas of the Peak District. However there are lots in a field nearby (3 miles) which is a reclaimed peat/gritstone moor. I’ll have a better look tomorrow.
I’d keep it but dog some out each year to control it
Can I borrow your dog?
It’s quite an interesting plant, very good for wildlife
[i]"Soft rush is an important component of wetland ecosystems, where it plays a variety of roles. It can help to stabilize wetland soils, preventing erosion and sedimentation. Its dense stands provide cover and nesting habitat for a variety of bird species, including waterfowl, rails, and marsh wrens. In addition, soft rush provides food and habitat for a variety of invertebrate species, including snails, insects, and spiders."[/i]
- soil is clayey, so stays soggy longer than most, but I don't think it qualifies at wetland, or in need of stabilisation.
- Even if I left patches permanently to grow to the "dense stands" of 2-3 feet, I'm pretty sure we're not going to have waterfowl nesting while our two boys play football round them!
- As for the spiders and the snails and the insects: do they like soft rush any more than than they like all the other stuff that the soft rush is displacing? Certainly the pollinators aren't getting anything from it.
Honestly, I'd be happy enough to learn how great it is if it meant I could do less for longer with the knowledge that it's worth it.
Isn't that just another way of saying "kill what's there and start again"? 😀You could take up some of the lawn and sow a clover or herb lawn.
@anagellis arvensis yes, common spotted orchid.
I’m not sure what it is, I thought it was early purple?
Could be, one has laterally squashed spots on the leaves as I recall, can't remember which though.
Beechgrove on BBC2 at the moment has an interesting article on grasses/meadows
It’s happened in our garden too, a common fragrant orchid. The first one since we moved here 17 years ago.
We’re looking forward to our privet hedges blooming, these fragrant, insect attracting flowers are missed by those who cut too early. I’ve spotted a lot of nocturnal moths on them in previous years as well as butterflies. @bunnyhop that’s a lovely orchid, it’s amazing that these plants just appear we’ve been here over 30 years and things keep popping up!
Most of these are wild or/ and have self seeded in the garden. Had 2 hover flies and a honey on them too.
Lots of blackfly on the Cardoon (over 8’ tall) again this year but we’ve left them and the ladybirds have been very active eating the flies and also they’ve laid lots of eggs so in a week or so we should see the larvae fighting off the ants and eating the flies!
You will have to imagine as picture posting still not working. It’s taken from below the cardoons with a lovely blue sky as a backdrop. There are at least two ladybirds busying around and the yellowy eggs can be seen on many of the stems and leaves along with thousands of blackfly. I’ll post a picture when we’ve had another whip round!
Yes, I get oaks in all the places the squirrels bury them, plant pots, raised beds and grass!
i've had a good amount of bees recently, just from weeds I've let grow, dunno what plant, but quite pretty purple flowers.
Now I've got a hedge hog!
I heard some scratching so I've put a bit of dog food out for it! :good:
Hopefully it can eat it before the local cats get to it, but it's raining, so chances are good!
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