Easter Saturday 2015

A gorgeous warm spring day . warm enough not to wear a coat . The daffodils are looking beautiful .I planted an extra 500 over the winter 300 in the meadow 200 in the garden . In the meadow they were planted around the fruit trees .although a little sparse now they will soon double up. 

The Primroses ,Ox slips and Anemone  Blanda are already flowering but the Fritillary are very disappointing I think this is due to  the arrival of the Lily Beetle that was unknown in this area until about 2 years ago now it is a real pest on Lilies and also Fritillery 

Fritillary

While the meadow is a magnet for wildlife ,it also has its unwelcome visitors too . the Moles have been excessively active over the winter .At one time I counted 60 mole hills at the top of the meadow. Today I saw the mole catcher in the adjoining fields . The farmer must have decided to get rid  of any moles in his fields . While the mole is safe in my meadow  as soon as he ventures across the boundary he will be no more.

Mole hills

Another unwelcome guests are Rabbits and huge population of Bank  Voles holes everywhere  but these are the main food source for other animals and birds so I suppose I can expect Stoats Weasels and various birds of prey and Owls . Its interesting to see how the meadow is evolving from year to year.