HELLO

Welcome to the blog of my Wild Flower Meadow for 2015.
A bit late starting this year due to nasty persistent virus that was so difficult to eradicate.
Sadly this may be the last year I may be keeping a blog for my meadow . The house and acre of land will be going on the market in the not too distant future . The new owners may put the land back to grazing or development who knows .
I sincerely hope not.
I hope it will be as loved and nurtured as It has been since I started it in 2006
In the mean time I will endeavour to keep the blog up to date with lots of pictures showing how the plants and wildlife play out in 2015 .I hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I do producing it.
Please pop back from time to time to see the new additions and feel free to add any comments

Saturday, 26 November 2011

Cold November Gales

 The weather has changed to more traditional November weather with cold gale force winds and rain. So I am in dreaming and planning mode.I have about 60 Canelabra Primulas waiting to go in ,but I think they will do better getting TLC in the greenhouse waiting for the early spring.
My original plan was to just have native wild flower meadow plants in the meadow but it is made by me and not natural.(Natural would have been thistle docks and coarse long grass) .I am now thinking that maybe it is better to provide a lot of nectar rich flowers for the wildlife as well as the 130 plus wild flowers I have growing here.
The farmland all around is almost a dessert as far as wild flowers are concerned at any time of the year as it is all grazed  low by sheep.
I was reading that bats appreciate nectar rich flowers to feed the insects so they have something to eat when they awake periodically from their winter sleep. So I am now thinking that its better to include some none natives as well for the wildlife. This year we had both Long Eared Bats and Pipistrells  flying around.  The first time in 35 years for the long Eared bats so bat boxes on the disused chimney stack looks like a must for 2012

Monday, 21 November 2011

Mind November Weather

The continuing really mild weather is producing strange combinations within the meadow. While the birds are stuffing themselves on the huge quantity of large fat hips, the roses themselves are still flowering.

Rosa Rugosa  hips a birds November breakfast

Rosa Rugosa still producing flowers in November



We have had one or two mornings with a slight frost but nothing to do any damage.
the grass is still growing ,and required a further cut.
Saturday was spent trying to remove the rocks that the builder left behind after building the stone wall. these remaining ones must weigh between 3/4 hundred weight and over .I think they may just have to be rolled to the edge of the meadow to enable me to get the grass cutters into the bottom corner. 
I will then resow with annual and perennial flowers.  I still have plug plants to plant but I am unsure whether or not to plant some now or to leave them all under glass until the spring  I may leave the weather conditions decide.

Monday, 14 November 2011

Just so beautiful

 "Storpharia aeruginosa
 I know I have already posted this variety of fungi but these new photo's of  "Storpharia aeruginosa     are so pretty I just had to share  
 "Storpharia aeruginosa

Even More Fungi


Even more Fungi so far unidentified as soon as ISPOT identify them I will post 







Saturday, 12 November 2011

Some More Fungi

Stropharia
A few more fungi  some identified some not but beautiful never the less .Identifications thanks to ISPOT
I must admit I am really amazed at the many different Fungi that have appeared this year  .It must be due to the diverse weather conditions of 2011.
Stropharia

Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda)

Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda)

 Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis)