Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Apodemus

goldfinches said:

Very cold and wet here with the sort of wind that makes your bones ache. The river is looking threateningly full already so I think we're in for a serious wetting this season. There has been some glorious tree planting on my usual morning walk with some really pretty and quite large saplings going in over the last few days. Here is one of them on the river bank. 



I spent this morning's walk admiring the work in progress and losing count of the new arrivals, it gave me a real boost to see money well spent on trees for all to enjoy.

I hope that tree is still upright after the storm!  Even with a big root ball, I would have thought it would benefit from some support until it gets going.

Farway

Nice to see new trees going in GF, fingers crossed for next year's drought and watering, although near the river I do hope thye get watered enough and subject to "normal" plant & forget policy

Bit brighter outside today, the rain was torrential with some flooding but seems to have gone down now

Today I'm attempting some wild life photography, just from the house not on safari . The tree outside attracts birds & squirrels, so just depends how quick my reflexes are

Apodemus

Actually...  Looking again at that picture, where on earth did they get the planting material from, with a split stem like that?  Or perhaps it's two seedlings that grew together.  But either way, it would be a bit unusual for a nursery not to have pruned out one of the stems.  Or is it something that has simply been relocated from elsewhere?  Very strange and adds to the conundrum of the lack of a support.  GF, any idea who is doing this planting?

RAS

Is it a paperbark birch? And the black square to the rear of the tree be a label? 

twopenny

Really got the hump!
Not only is something eating the pansies and flowering pinks it's eating the buds on the japonica that flowers through winter.
Eaten through the swelling buds leaving the green and some blackened stamens.
If the wind ever stops I'll cover it. No sign of ants, woodlice. Just neatly eaten away.
Lovely birches by the stream. Someone knows what they're doing.

Apodemus

twopenny said:

Really got the hump!
Not only is something eating the pansies and flowering pinks it's eating the buds on the japonica that flowers through winter.
Eaten through the swelling buds leaving the green and some blackened stamens.
If the wind ever stops I'll cover it. No sign of ants, woodlice. Just neatly eaten away.

Sparrows?

goldfinches

@Apodemus - the tree is still upright despite last night's wind. I took the photograph before the supports had been added as well as the deer cage so I mislead you rather. Sorry about that.
@RAS - that black square is actually the top of the watering tube that leads down to the base of the hole, the Meadow Keepers use them for all the newly planted trees so that they can be watered for at least their first year if not longer depending on the weather.
2p - sorry to hear about your hungry predator(s), may you spot them soon.

twopenny

  Apodemus I only have a few small birds visiting but they did used to eat the blossom in my last place. The white expecially.

As it's small and tucked in a corner away from feeders I thought it would be something else but who knows. I want the birds, I want them to eat aphids but not my flowers

Farway

I'd put money on the birds scoffing your buds as well 2P, that's the trouble with wildlife, the little blighters aren't always helpful or cute

Dull with  rain on the way, just like the rest of the week's been really

My indoor safari worked yesterday, here's a magpie that sat still long enough for me to take the photo. I have seen a woodpecker but that will be a harder shot as it's not a daily visitor

RAS

After a dodgy start that encouraged me to pack a body warmer as well as the cagoule when I headed of to volunteer, it turned out to be glorious. Warmer than expected, less windy (it's a very exposed site) so I slung on the body warmer and ditched the cagoule. 

Not exactly the most active session, mainly weeding a small very overgrown area which needed the worst clearing so the rest can dry out enough to clear the smaller weeds. So it was working when the sun came out, which proved to be the case except at lunch-time.

The only down-side was that my bus didn't run, so the next one was doubly occupied and picked up some of the school students. Who still think that masks aren't cool.