July and August 2011

by Ken - 16:16 on 17 August 2011

                                       Ken’s Nature notes.

Looks like being another good year for fruit and seed, the apples in the orchard are swelling up nicely, I just hope they don’t break their branches with the weight of the fruit. The Plums are doing really well this year compared to last year when there were hardly any. Even the Hazel seedlings that had been nibbled by the rabbits have recovered well. Grass and weeds are growing  in abundance in these hot and wet days that we are having  this month.
The Willow has been a bit disappointing this year, not that I have any criticism with the growth that they put on from last year, no it is the fact they have not been very pliable when allowed to grow longer in the second season. Usually they are harvested in the spring when the leaves have fallen off, they are then in good condition to be used, however the times when we need them most is in June and July for fairs and by this time they have dried out and are in need of soaking. This is where we hit the problem, not having any container big enough to soak them for a few days, well that’s my moan over with.
New colonies of bees have been introduced into the allotment, so it is fingers crossed that these will flourish and survive for years to come.
Passed a fantastic Buddleia today with huge purple flowers, couldn’t see any butterflies on it which is unusual as the common name for these shrubs are the butterfly bush, I hope this is not going to be the next problem, shortage of butterflies. While I am on the subject of Buddleias, I remember reading last year that these shrubs have now become an evasive plant; lots of old railway lines that have been brought back to life with the preserved railways movement are now finding the buddleia a pest and need constant work to keep them cut back, one mans meat comes to mind.
Tasted my first wild Raspberry last week, very nice, I found it strange that I had not noticed these fruit till they were ripe, perhaps I had not been along this lane for a while?
The mountain ash or Rowan, has the usual array of berries that are changing colour now to the reds that we are used to, soon these will be pillaged by the Starlings as they greedily strip the trees bare, they only last about a week when ripe then they are gone, not very helpful for winter feed.
The local footpath has had its trim for this year, near the Floater Pub, and the Himalayan Balsam is a major problem again as it seems to advance further into areas new. When I was a lad, many moons ago, we had many a fun time snapping these plants off, on land at the back of the sawmill on the Lambton Estate where we lived. They would be twice our height and the seeds when ripe would catapult themselves for yards, no wonder they spread like mad.
Well I better get back to pulling up some more Balsam before we are over run.
Enjoy your holidays,  Ken.
      

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