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September

by Ken Clark - 08:20 on 17 September 2009

My evening stroll with our dog “Jack” has been enhanced by the sight of a good size hedgehog feeding quite happily on the grass near our house. I often wonder if this is the same hedgehog that used to feed on the spilt birdfeed in our garden, he or she has gone back to the softer food of the evening slugs; well there are certainly plenty to go at.

A distressing site of a vandalised ash that I wrote about in the last nature notes has a new twist to it. Rather than mindless vandalism, that was the cause of the trees demise, it seems, after talking to a friend in the plantation, that the ash tree was cut down by a distressed cat owner who’s cat had climbed up the tree and after three days had refused to come down ( the cat that is). I still cannot condone this course of action as a ladder must have been available somewhere. However it is a reminder not to judge to quickly without having all the facts to hand.

Some of the last flushes of colour in the hedgerows have now been transformed into tiny pea like pods, I am referring to the Tufted Vetch who’s purple and pink flowers brightened up the hedge rows.

As I was walking down the “Gill” just as you start on the bridleway off Wapping Bridge I noticed some distortion to the acorns in the Oak trees. I picked one and set off to my computer. Searching for “oak diseases” I found that these English oaks had the “Knopper Gall”. The gall wasps lays eggs within the bud on the oaks and these can have a devastating effect on the acorns; it causes distortion

to an unrecognisable growth. Thankfully there are still acorns being produced on oaks nearby. The information about these Gall Wasp growth states it has only been in this country since 1960. It just goes to show how finely balanced nature can be.

(Knopper Gall)

On a brighter note I have begun the apple harvest, I must have picked eight stone of apples from our Groups allotment, don’t ask what that is in Kilograms as I wouldn’t have a clue. Eventually these will be mashed up and the juice extracted via our fruit press to be turned into Cider.

It seems to have been another good year for fruit, a plum tree growing next to our apples has had a fantastic crop, these have been very tasty as a passing treat, I have never noticed this tree before to have had such a good crop of fruit.

My red onions have done very well this year and I am in the process of drying them off for the winter storage. I am the only one of our household that seems to enjoy raw onions, the only down side is that you have to plan carefully when you are going to eat this tasty snack, it is no use before a meeting or visiting friends due of course to the odour that lingers on the mouth!

We finally finished off our Rhubarb crop, for this season I think, with a mouth watering Rhubarb Crumble and of course custard, delicious.

The days are certainly get very shorter now, and cooler, so its time to get out the pullovers and scarves.

So keep warm and dry.

Ken.

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