It Came From Outer Space

Well not really, but it looks like it could have:

Any idea what this unusual looking plant is ?   I'll let you know later.
Hint No.1:  It's a hardy plant.

This is Lily Pink Attraction, purchased in May this year, which explains why it has only just started flowering. Hopefully it will bloom at the correct time next year.

Any idea on the mystery plant yet ?
Hint No.2: The leaves in the photo are not what you normally expect on this plant.

This is Lily Flash Point, another one purchased in May this year. Have you noticed the nibbled leaves ?  A sign of vine weevil damage, I think. I've found a number of them recently, time to order some nematodes to deal with them. Vine weevils wreak havoc in pots if left untreated.

Discovered these greenfinches feasting on Cotoneaster berries in the garden recently. I've often seen blackbirds eating them, but never seen finches on them before. And where were the blackbirds ?  Oh they were too busy munching the last of my blueberries.

And the mystery plant ?
Hint No.3:  This is what the leaves usually look like:

Yes, it's Hedera helix, commonly known as Ivy. When the plant is about to flower, the mature leaves around the blooms take on a different shape.

Many years ago, my parents had a static caravan in Nottinghamshire. In the hedgerow behind the caravan, Ivy was growing rampantly, so I took a cutting. Ivy is very easy to root as it produces aerial roots. I planted the rooted cutting at the bottom of the garden, on a steep dry bank in dense shade, and it flourished. It has now completely covered the bank. I have often thought about removing it, but it is a magnet for wildlife, so it stays. At the end of the bank, it has clambered up some wire fencing, and where it reaches for the sky, it blooms.

And finally, a quick word about the weather. Summer is coming back. Good news, you may think. Er no, I mean 2012 summer weather. Yes, strong winds and heavy rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow. It'll be like old times.

Takeaway Food

A new slant on ready meals.
I'll explain later.

This lily has just come into full bloom. Looked in the pot for the label, and guess what?  It was missing. The blackbirds are the main culprits. I don't know what they've got against labels in plant pots, but they seem to prefer to see them scattered on the ground. So I'm afraid I can't give you any information on this lily, other than to mention that it is in its second year.

A lot of youngsters are appearing in the garden lately. I think I've already mentioned the goldfinch family, well one of them posed for this photo a few days ago, just as the lily was coming into bloom. And there has been a family of house sparrows, only just out of the nest, which brings me to the title of this post. The sparrows arrived in the garden at the same time as flying ants were leaving their nest. Now in case you didn't know, there is one thing that flying ants are not very good at; flying. Really.

Once a year, flying ants leave the nest and fly up into the air in search of a mate. They only get one attempt at it, as they are not strong enough to keep flying around like other insects. After mating, or at the end of the day, whichever comes first, the male ants die, and the young queens go in search of a new home.

So the young sparrows, also not very good at flying, but still learning, really enjoyed themselves, catching the ants mid air. They were soon joined by a family of blue tits who also enjoyed the feast. In previous years, I've seen blackbirds taking the ants on the ground, but I've never seen them caught in the air before.

Can't See The Woods

For the Tree Lilies.
Yes, there's more of them:

These Tree Lilies are the ones growing in pots. Must be about 7 or 8 foot high. Well, they're a lot bigger than me, but then, most things are. The Leycesteria growing in front of them is about 6 foot high. And that's bigger than me too. I'm starting to get a complex here.

Moving swiftly on, the squirrel has been up to his antics again. Now that he's eaten all the cheap food, he's found the good stuff.

Lid off in no time.

And he starts tucking in.

But then he gets a bit erm.....stuck.

Manages to free himself, but loses his balance.

And decides to call it a day.

And finally, saw an unusual sight in the garden today; a family of goldfinches came to visit. That's not the unusual bit. Hang on. Anyway, the parents came to the feeder, but the youngsters were a bit reluctant to come down. Suddenly, they all flew up into the air, and flew off. That's when a sparrowhawk arrived, but he wasn't interested in the goldfinches. Oh no.

Here's the unusual bit; the sparrowhawk was being chased by about half a dozen crows. They put on some amazing aerial displays as they were dive bombing the sparrowhawk. The hawk kept resting in the trees, but everytime he tried to fly away, the crows attacked it again. Eventually, they all flew out of sight, so I don't know what the outcome was. Very strange to see a predator under attack.

I Can't Get No

Satisfaction.
At least, not in its first year.

This is Lily Satisfaction, one of the first tree lilies that I grew. I purchased several bulbs from Thompson & Morgan in 2009. I planted most of them in the ground, but kept one to grow in a pot. The ones in the ground were very disappointing, but the one in the pot didn't even grow at all. At the end of the season, I knocked it out of its pot, and much to my surprise, the pot contained a very plump, healthy bulb. So I repotted it, and it has flowered every year since. Oh, and the ones in the ground ?  Long since disappeared.

This little chap has been living in my water feature all summer. Normally, the frogs don't go in there much in summertime, because it is situated in full sun. But this year, no such thing as full sun.

And finally, a few words about illegal immigrants. You know the ones. They come over here, and just take over from the local population. We all know about the grey squirrels, and more recently, the harlequin ladybirds. But have you heard about the Spanish slug ?  I kid you not.

Apparently, it has arrived here, producing hundreds more eggs than our native species. It could even pose a threat to our good old British slug. Speaking of which, have you seen the size of them lately ?  Team GB is really producing some winners this year. They'll certainly give the Spanish ones a run for their money. Well they would, if they could run.