Diary Of A Wild Country Garden

It is the Winter Solstice today 21st December 2014 and right now is the shortest day of the whole year. That is the shortest hours of daylight for the year. After today we very gradually gain a little more daylight every day and nature responds. Where I live the worst of the weather is potentially still to come. I has been quite a mild start to winter really this year.  The garden is still and quiet to our eyes but is getting ready to steel itself through the winter and burst forth in Spring.  Many of our creatures like the hedgehog are still in hibernation. Sometimes I think they have the right idea! They will have found a cosy spot in the gardens or maybe even in our garage for the winter. If you do see a hedgehog outside in winter and it looks underweight or sick do contact your local hedgehog rescue or wildlife team for advice. You can read more here Caring For A Sick Or Injured Hedgehog    Hedgehog, Mug by mag26s Browse Hedgehog Mugs online ...

While it has to be said that Winter is not my favourite time of year there is a special magic about it that I find I love... The flowers are largely gone and many of the trees have lost their leaves and it can all look a little bleak. However, if you look closer you start to notice the tree bark on its trunk and branches. Usually, we do not notice it so much, the leaves and blossoms take centre stage most of the year and the bark plays only a supporting role.  However, now if we take the time to look, we see the beautiful intricate contours on its trunk, the different colours and the often lacey pattern the bare branches make against a clear winter sky. The winter berries shine out red and glistening in a winter frost, providing a beautiful and powerful splash of colour just when we most need it most.  Of course the holly berries are wonderful and the cotoneaster, if they have not all already been eaten by the birds!  Red Berries in the Winter Sn...

We have several trees that shed their leaves in late Autumn.  We get a beautiful carpet of glorious golds, bronzes, reds and bronze on the grass and gravel. It's gorgeous... It is so lovely it is tempting to leave it there but for some at least we have a good use for it.  We used to just rake them all up and put in the bin for the council to take away. However, we have since discovered a few better uses in our own garden to help us and the wildlife.    We take some of the leaves and use them to cover our little wild mammal shelter. It is really just a collection of logs and sticks leftover from prunings in a corner of the garden but I like to think it gives some shelter from the wind and cold and rain for the little mammals and the hedgehogs if we are lucky. So the leaves go on top for some added warmth. We add a few more sticks on top of that to keep them somewhat in place. OK, some of the leaves we put in the borders. There they provide a little she...

I was looking through my photos today of the garden over summer and autumn and came across this one of a snail. It's not really cute and certainly not cuddly but it is fascinating and a part of the garden and it does live there....quite happily. Now snails are not generally on a gardener's top most wanted visitors list! However as a life form and a part of nature I respect them. Yes, I do have some choice words for them when they eat all my marigolds as they did this year and when they and their slug friends eat holes in my plant's leaves, but they are a part of the gardens rich tapestry.  I accept it. I also do feel that some of their shells are quite pretty and when they pop their heads out they can really be quite cute :) Also somewhat morbidly I know, if there are snails in my garden it is helping the survival of the Thrush bird who eats snails and the hedgehog who is partial to a snail in the diet, both creatures who are not doing so well in nature at present. Y...

Look at this little guy! He is adorable and he visited our garden.  It's getting cold here now and I think this little one was looking to increase his store of food before the real winter sets in and thought our garden may have some hidden treasures no other squirrel had found.  He is a grey squirrel, not native to the UK but originally from America and certainly successful in colonising many areas and finding opportunities for food and shelter.  Our native squirrel is a Red Squirrel, smaller and much more reddish in colour than a Grey Squirrel,  but we do not see those anymore here, the nearest to us are in Northumberland and Scotland. We don't very often get squirrels in our garden, they seem to prefer the woodland nearby and the cemetery where there are huge mature trees with a good supply of nuts. This one however decided to try his luck.    Cute Squirrel Mug by RaintreeDesigns Order custom mugs on zazzle. We do not encourage squir...