Early Summer Bits and Bobs.

[Westi]

The butterflies of all types have just started to show in number on the site but way fewer than normal! I am quite concerned that this observation by us & others have not been picked up by any one in the press, like Country File? Surely butterflies are just as important as bees, who are appearing in greater numbers in my area? Not as easy for us to contribute to assisting, but the professional gardens with expertise must be able to dumb down their huge knowledge base from their butterfly enclosures to come up with a solution? Too late to just advise us to grow flowers or weeds if no butterflies to feed on them?

[Westi]

PS: Grazers do a deterrent spray for cabbage whites & it does work, & a bottle lasts for years....except this year thanks to the rain washing it off! As my brassicas's have grown bigger I snap a leaf off & spray that & place it underneath the plant so kept dry.

[Primrose]

A nice gesture today which went rather awry.

With our monthly Waitrose order came a large complimentary bouquet of beautiful white lilies. I was touched as the driver had remembered from his last delivery I was having some health issues.

However during the day the perfume has built up so strongly that Mr Primrose and I have both been coughing and have streaming eyes and a headache. . I've removed the pollen tendrils on the flowers which have already opened but we,ve had to place the vase containing them outside on our patio table. Never been affected by their perfume before in this way and wonder if it,s another of those strange post Covid symptoms?

[Westi]

While waiting for the garage to ring to say the car was ready following service & MOT today I was flipping through my lottie note book. Amused myself with my scribblings of how to cope with another heat wave & even had my list ticked off for shade cloth, more bottles & extra filled trugs around the plot if we got a hose ban.

I should have contacted Noah on how to build an Ark! ...But who knows what still may come, a full sunny day not expected until the 10th Aug by the phone weather but if the jet stream moves anything could happen!

[oldherbaceous]

Lilies do that to me, Primrose, as do Yankee candles, ( there are other makes of scented candles available), mostly a raging headache but, this has been going on before Covid was about….

[Primrose]

Westie
Did you ever manage to solve your poly tunnel water collection problem?the issue of water collection and storage on allotments in dry weather is an ongoing problem. A pity a national competition hasn't been set up for the person coming up with the most innovative solution.

[Primrose]

Ourgettes & cucumbers
It,s reached that time of the year here when neighbours bolt their doors if they see my husband approaching with more of the above in his hand,
Bet the beef farmers or butchers never have this problem if they have a steak surplus !

Our surprise "round" courgette plant is producing so many fruits it,s an amazing embarrassment but still prefer the traditional long ones! People don't know what to make of tHem, never having seen courgettes of this shape before.

[Primrose]

Referring to Westie earlier comment about butterflies etc I,m rather surprised that one of the "nature organisations" hasn,t organised a national Butterfly Watch day st some suitable time in the summer in the same way that we have the Birdwatch weekend.
It would be a good exercise to help people improve their identification skills.

Earlier in the week I spotted a dragonfly in the garden - the first one this yea, possibly because two neighbiurs' ponds in nearby gardens have been severely neglected of late. I,ve realised it, been some years since I,ve come across any crickets or grasshoppers in our garden.

[snooky]

There is a survey of our Butterflies ongoing at the moment,Primrose.Started July 14th and finishes August 6th,link below:-
https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/

[Westi]

Thanks snooky! I never saw anything about that either. Still time so I will do that as I'd be very interested to see the results. There was good news in the New Forest where they have done work on the habitat of one particular rare species, & they are getting results. Site location is not shared understandably & I can't remember the type of butterfly, but it reassures to know their are groups who have the expertise to create these areas.

Hi Primrose, still working on & off for collecting the rain water of the tunnel. The plastic stick on was a total fail, the guttering 1/2 way down the side worked to an extent but it was too heavy as couldn't connect it through the tunnel frame & the neighbours DIY frame couldn't support it. I contacted the company direct & they said they are working on this, however I have managed to get some extra bubblewrap liner cutoffs from them. My plan with this is to stick it to the tunnel & tuck it into joined up halved barrels along the side & use it like a trough & just scooping up watering cans. The same neighbour who helped before has his eye out for barrels, but hard to find any that haven't had anything toxic in them . He will though or will suddenly just present me with a proper horse trough or the like!

[Westi]

Not the best circumstances but rescued 2 benign butterflies & 1 cabbage white from under the fine netting on the broccoli. All looked very grateful but I was right to check get under the netting as some eggs & some cabbage white caterpillars on the plants & while under there weeded. Technically I also helped the birds in the hedge row by putting these on the table at the back.

I was so sure I had secured it I went on the hunt for the entry point - found it eventually! Bind weed had wrapped itself around the netting then diverted to the wire fence making a gap. That's all sorted, but no record lengths of root but still rewarding!

[Westi]

Had a break from the rain today so went down to the plot - mainly to prep it for the gales over the next couple of days! On the positive the news says summer will return the end of next week! Just to add every squash/pumpkin remains yellow, maybe the return of some summer warmth will get them changing to my expected colour??

[Primrose]

I feel sorry for the young guy who helps with our gardening now. He runs a one man gardening business and the wet weather is causing him an awful lot of lost business. For amateur growers and gardeners rain is major inconvenience but when downpours cause loss of income it moves to a whole new level.
At least the water utilities are not benefitting as those on a water meter are getting their garden crops watered free of cost.!

[Westi]

Well there was the odd strong gust but not too bad, so hopefully my preparations held, but a load of fruit will have dropped I expect, so they will need raking up quickly as the wasps are in abundance & pretty drunk & feisty! Had a quick nose down at the beach, (in the car I add), & the waves were crashing over the wall & of course the wind surfers were having a great time. Never heard the Lifeboat gun go off so they must have all been very experienced. However it did not stop raining until about 5pm.

Looking at the weather I think I will be cutting off the foliage on the main crop spuds tomorrow. Blight has been reported near the border to Hampshire about a mile away from the plot, so it is already around & this rain will certainly hit the Hutton humidity criteria. Too wet to dig them & no room to dry them off on the plot, but the slimy things will be around in abundance, so will need to create room in the shed or something!

[robo]

The forecast for us today was around 16 hours of torrential rain and thunder and lightning in reality we have had a small shower and no thunder and lightning when will we be able to believe these forecasters