In our garden

Posted on December 6, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Birds, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2144, Environment, Garden, Hedgehogs, Nature, SquirrelLeave a comment

Do you ever see wild animals?

Yes I see wild animals, mostly birds including Robins, blackbirds and wrens, but a squirrel jumped onto our garden fence last week, right outside the kitchen window. I’ve previously seen hedgehogs and also spotted a fox a few years ago. My garden is a bit of a wildlife haven with bushes and trees for the animals to rest in. There’s also a leaky pond, so sometimes we have tadpoles and frogs.

I must put out some bird food soon. I’m a bit nervous though of slipping on the leaves out there. My garden is on a slope so I could end up sliding down it in the mud. Must be careful.

Flying squirrel

Posted on September 2, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Autumn, bushy tail, Food, Gardening, Growing, jumping squirrel, Saplings, Squirrel, Walnut tree, walnuts, Wildlife2 Comments

I just looked out of the window as a squirrel came flying past! I just saw the fluffy tail as it jumped from the fence onto one of the hanging basket brackets, then up onto the kitchen roof.

Why is it visiting us? WALNUTS! We have a walnut tree that we planted 25 years ago and it GREW. It must be 60 to 80 feet high. For years now we know when autumn is getting here when the squirrels arrive. Then they go on the a rampage and bury the walnuts. So sooner or later we have baby walnut saplings springing up all over the place. I don’t begrudge the squirrels, we have said we want a wildlife garden, and it is.

Sculpture /planter

Posted on April 21, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Birds, black biro, black metal, Drawing, England, Sketching, Spider, Squirrel, Staffordshire, Trentham GardensLeave a comment

A metal squirrel climbs up and birds perch on this sculpture at Trentham whilst plants including tulips grow in the planter. 15 minute sketch while we were at Pieminister at the retail Village. I could also see butterflies and a spider. I decided this is an example of art nouveau or that sort of style. It’s made up of four sections bolted together.

Walnut tree

Posted on February 14, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged England, Environment, Growth, Nature, Plymouth, Squirrel, Stoke-on trent, Tree, twenty five years, WalnutLeave a comment

We bought this tree about 25 years ago as a sapling from Plymouth and planted it in our garden. It is now as tall as our house but as the garden slopes you could probably add another five or six foot to its growth. Since it was quite young it has produced walnuts which the local squirrels collect and store over winter. That has resulted in some unwanted saplings which we have dug up and given away. Walnuts don’t do well if their branches are cut. The sap tends to flow freely and can cause the tree to bleed sap. This can also allow infections which can damage the trees. Walnut wood is apparently very good for carpentry, but I intend to leave well alone. If it can get that big in twenty five years how big will it get in fifty…

Dug up!

Posted on June 28, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bulbs, digging up plants, Food, Fox, Gardening, Hedgehogs, Nature, Night, Plants, Squirrel14 Comments

Something keeps digging up bulbs in the garden, from pots we planted up last autumn. The bulbs have roots on them but haven’t grown yet, (unless they are having the leaves nibbled).

I’ve replanted them a few times, but something comes back and pulls them up again. Not plants, just bulbs? Hubby thinks it’s a fox doing it. I think it’s a squirrel. Has anyone got an idea? The bulbs are in pots on the ground, not up on the wall where some of the other pots are. It seems to just happen at night. Could it be hedgehogs trying to find worms. We might start leaving cat food out for hedgehogs again.

Oak tree

Posted on February 10, 2021February 10, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #100daywalkingchallenge, Branches, Cold, Oak tree, Poem, Poetry, Squirrel, Time, Tree, Walk, WinterLeave a comment

Little Oak tree

Not great yet.

Just middle aged

Not ancient

Will you survive

Into your centenary?

Have your acorns grown,

Have you got galls?

Surviving a winters day

With a squirrels dray.

Tulips

Posted on May 1, 2020May 1, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Garden, Growing, Memories, Old photos, Photo, Plants, Squirrel, Time, TulipsLeave a comment

These were growing in our garden six years ago. The garden is more overgrown now and we didn’t put in as many tulips this year. I will have to put in more next year. Part of the problem is also the squirrels digging them up. I think they eat them in the winter.

Tulips were precious plants in centuries gone by. Some were more expensive than gold. I can remember the details, but they are beautiful plants. I’m afraid this post is a little lacking in detail. I shall try and add more to it.

Spiders webs….

Posted on November 9, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Frogs, Gardening, Life, Nature, Slugs, Spiders, Squirrel, Winter3 Comments

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Now the winter is starting there are less of these about. Spiders are probably finding quiet corners to hibernate. So what to do….? Spiders catch all sorts of creepy crawlies, keeping pests down without using pesticides and insecticides. Hopefully your garden finds a balance.

Recently we found frogs in the garden. They eat slugs and insects.

The only other incomers are a couple of squirrels but they do like digging up spring bulbs and planting walnuts and pinching bird food. But they are lovely so I wouldn’t do anything about them!

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Squirrel