“I am a blackbird, singing my song” This is what I used to hear when I opened the front door early in the morning. That is, I heard a blackbird from across the street, and the first part of his song sounded just like, “I am a blackbird”, and I added the rest (and more,Continue reading “A bird to be treasured”
Tag Archives: #wildersouthampton
Big Garden Birdwatch Plus
Twenty-five starlings, two bluetits, a wood pigeon, a magpie, two or three greenfinches …. I can more or less predict how many birds of each species I’ll see when I take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend. What I’m less sure of is what they’ll be doing. And that, for me, is theContinue reading “Big Garden Birdwatch Plus”
Garden happenings, 2024.
It seemed like it was all happening in our garden last year. Here are a few of the highlights. Probably the most exciting event was seeing a leaf cutter bee using the bee hotel. I was, quite honestly, beside myself with excitement. This happened 3 weeks after I’d moved the bee hotel from one sideContinue reading “Garden happenings, 2024.”
Pollinating Peartree: Itchen Ferry Memorial Garden
Near where I live, there used to be a village called Itchen Ferry. Most of it was destroyed during World War 2, as it was close to the Supermarine factory where Spitfires were built, and now there’s a memorial with a garden. The memorial plaque states that, in 1985, pupils from class 3B at LudlowContinue reading “Pollinating Peartree: Itchen Ferry Memorial Garden”
Scaffolding as a call to action
On a Sunday morning at the end of July, I arrived home to see scaffolding going up on a house down the road. This is a house where I’d seen swifts nesting, so I was really concerned. I had to wait half an hour for the scaffolders to finish, which gave me time to thinkContinue reading “Scaffolding as a call to action”
Pollinating Peartree: The surprising popularity of the Bitterne Trough
Bitterne shopping precinct is, to be blunt, pretty lifeless. There are a few trees and shrubs at either end, but under the shrubs (seen in the background in the first photo), the ground is pretty compacted, and nothing grows. In March, I was getting increasingly concerned about the lack of flowers for pollinators, so IContinue reading “Pollinating Peartree: The surprising popularity of the Bitterne Trough”
Hedgehogs Return
A few days ago, on a dark February morning around 6 a.m., I opened my front door to see a hedgehog snuffling around the mat in the porch. He or she dashed into the shrubs at the side, but those few seconds were enough to make my day. In fact, it’s made my month! ThatContinue reading “Hedgehogs Return”
Stories from a silver birch
Christmas Day 2023: Day One of 12 Days Wild, the Wildlife Trusts winter challenge to do something wild each day. I started by sitting in the garden in the dark at 7 am with a hot chocolate, taking advantage of the quiet to listen to the birds waking up. On a normal Monday there would beContinue reading “Stories from a silver birch”
Pollinating Peartree: Reflections on Bridge Road part 1
I was surprised to realise I haven’t written a blog specifically about the Pollinating Peartree project since my first post in January 2021. For a while I’ve been thinking that I’d like to do two things. One is to reflect on what I’ve learned, as I think it could be helpful to others who mightContinue reading “Pollinating Peartree: Reflections on Bridge Road part 1”
A Tale of Toadflax
Meet the Toadflax Brocade moth caterpillar, which came into my life on Wednesday, 23 August 2023. They feed on Purple Toadflax, a plant that I first identified on Peartree Green a few years ago, and which is abundant in the alleys close to our garden. This post is about noticing wildlife in unexpected places andContinue reading “A Tale of Toadflax”
Dandelion Nature 