Saturday 19 May 2012

Sunday safari on Saturday

 I love it when Doves visit the garden.    They bring a sense of peace with them........
 A crab spider hides beneath the bloom of Rosa Rugosa, waiting for its next victim.
Gold at the end of the rainbow..........a ball of tiny spiders, springing into life.
A caterpillar on pendulous sedge.   No id as yet, unless you can help??
 I removed every Coreopsis  during February, the rabbits loved them a little too much and they never did particularly well.    This is the replacement :)    Trollius chinensis 'Golden Queen'   She should do well here.   A lover of cooler conditions and moist soil she should fit in happily.
I have planted drifts of them through the damp borders and in the bog garden.    I am hoping with time they will make a statement.     
The best thing about this plant is :     rabbits do not like them, and for me, that has become quite an issue.    At the moment they appear to be leaving them alone :)

I have been very careful with the changes I have made here and am looking forward to showing you the results.    I love Trollius, and will at some point plant our native 'europaeus'
You might wonder why I did not do that initially.   The reason is that the bloom of our native is very pale, and I wanted something that was just a little bit bolder :)

Happy Sunday safari.

26 comments:

  1. Sunday safari is early this week, as I am out tomorrow.
    Hope you are all having a great weekend :-}

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  2. Hi Cheryl, beautiful photos as always and I just have to keep looking and looking at your lovely 'Golden Queen', what a gorgeous colour, I love it, so bright and cheerful and full of sunshine! I hope it does really well for you and doesn't get interfered with by the Rabbits.

    I tried to ID your caterpillar and think it could be The Drinker Moth but it is a little difficult to tell from the photo so I may be way off beam.

    Enjoy the rest of the weekend :-)

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  3. Hi Jan,

    I have carefully selected the plantings to fit the environment and all are supposed to be distasteful to rabbits. We will see as the season progresses....it will be fun finding out.

    Tku, I will look that one up and see it the id is correct. I do have a couple more images, so will look at them again.....
    Tks for your help Jan......

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  4. Dear Cheryl, It was wonderful to stop by for a visit and see you are doing well. I always wonder why I don't sit down to read blogs more often...but, there you have it--I think it is the "sitting down" part that hinders me. I seem to spend most of my time flying from one activity to another, with no time to sit and read. Ah well. I love your choice of Golden Queen. That color really makes a vivid statement. One of my favorite colors in the garden--so cheerful and sunny.
    Hugs,
    Jenny

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    1. Hi Jenny,

      How are you? It has been such a long time since I have seen you here.

      I understand, I find blogging difficult due to lack of time. I always seem to have something to do that is more important. I will keep going for as long as I can though.

      Tku re Golden Queen, I am loving the colour in the garden. I am hoping that this time next year they will be much larger plants and really stand out in the borders :)

      Lovely to have you visit.....don't be a stranger.

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  5. That is certainly a beautiful gold flower - I don't have too many plants of that colour in my garden as they seem to stand out too much against all the pastels - except for daffodils in springtime then I allow the colour in.

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    1. I can understand you would not want Golden Queen amongst a border of pastels....it just wouldn't work.

      Everyone loves daffodils, don't they?

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  6. HI Cheryl...I am so far behind these days..dear me!!
    I love the Rugosa Roses your photo with the "itsy-bitsy" spider, and my goodness the ball of them ..so strange I have never seen anything like that!!
    Your GQ is sunny and bright...hope the rabbits stay away!!
    My Raccoon I haven't seen, but I do miss my birds I was feeding : {
    Grace ♥

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    1. HI Grace,

      I believe they are Garden spiders. The legs are laid during the autumn and hatch in Spring. This is the fifth year that I have seen them in the garden.

      As soon as you put out those feeders Grace, your birds will be back :)

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  7. Hi Cheryl,
    The trollius is beautiful, such a rich colour, and all those tiny spiders are amazing.
    So lovely to see the dove flying through your trees. They are such beautiful birds aren't they. My Dad used to keep wood pigeons when I was very small, they came and went as they pleased but some were quite tame. There was a dove amongst them that used to sit on my head and shoulder and walk round the garden with me. I loved her and called her 'pretty girl' a terrible name I know but I was only about 3!
    Love to you and your garden!

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    1. Lucinda,

      What a beautiful story. I love wood pigeons and have a nesting pair in the garden. They use the same tree from generation to generation. I love the story of the dove, you must have been a delightful child.......it is no wonder you have turned into such a caring adult :)

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    2. I'm not sure my parents would say that! Not when I was a teenager at least ;)

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  8. Beautiful color. Great photographs as usual. I especially loved the tiny spiders.

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  9. Cheryl, I've been enjoying a walkabout not just through this safari but several of the others. The marvels you see and record are so uplifting - the ball of spiders, Nella on a cold brisk walk, an orange tip. Had to look up Trollius - thought it was a very posh looking Marsh Marigold.

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    1. Hi Laura,

      I first discovered Trollius last year when in Yorkshire.
      They were growing wild in a field (our native, that is) and I thought at first, like you, they were marsh marigold.
      It is only when You get really close, you know for certain they are not. The blooms are extremely large and planted on mass, look stunning. You can never do it as well as mother nature but I hope to have something that is pleasing to the eye, eventually :)

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  10. Happy Safari!
    All is gorgeous. The Trollius are lovely. I bet the bugs will like them too. Your rabbits do present a challenge. Hope the drifts take hold.
    Do I see sunshine? I love seeing caterpillars. The spiderlings are amazing....
    Even with all your climate change your gardens are thriving...You are an amazing steward of Mother's gifts.
    Your white dove brings a sense of tranquility. In the gardens we find our oneness.
    Happy New Moon.
    Sherry

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    1. Dear Sherry,
      The bees and butterflies will enjoy Trollius :)
      The rabbits are causing havoc in the garden at the moment, especially the kittens.
      Yes, sunshine, only here and there but sunshine!!

      Happy New Moon

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  11. Would like to grow Trollius but have never tried it because I think our soil might be too dry. Well not now, obviously, but normally we have dry soil in the summer.

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    1. Hi Crystal,

      Trollius do not like soil that dries out apparently :(
      They are real moisture lovers, which should not be a problem here, as we are low lying......

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  12. That's some serious wildlife you have going on there.

    Nina xxx

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    1. Tks for dropping by Nina and welcome to my blog.

      Insects are my thing..........

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  13. Doves are very calming, aren't they? How nice to capture one in flight!
    I've never seen a ball of tiny spiders before. Wow!

    Your Golden Queen is lovely and I hope the rabbits continue to avoid her.
    Happy Saturday Safari.

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    1. HI Wendy,

      How are you? Seems ages since you have dropped by :)

      I love the ball of spiders.....so pretty when they are this tiny.

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  14. oh you have a wonderful talent for photography!
    nice to catch up with your blogs

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  15. I am just getting around to blogs after returning from the Garden Bloggers Fling. So much to do. So much to read....

    Love seeing the Peace Dove flying through your garden. What a beauty. Are these wild or kept birds?

    The bright golden yellow flower is a beauty. I can see why you chose it. It is sure to make you smile. Hopefully the rabbits will leave it alone.

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