Saturday 29 November 2014

Surprise

A blue-skied sunny morning and unseasonally warm - and just down the road, nectaring methodically on a Viburnum bush in a front garden, was a beautiful bright Red Admiral. On November 29th!

2 comments:

  1. Interesting autumn, early winter up here in the borders, Nige, we have had nearly three weeks of tepid mist, tumbling down from the hill once 'sunrise' has appeared. This has highlighted the vast amount of lichen on the trees, the chestnut, not normally prone to a cloak of lichen are literally dripping in sage green. 'Our' owls are in particularly good voice, blood curdling stuff, not the Springwatch type at all. Yesterday we watched as a lone deer munched fallen leaves underneath an apple tree, oblivious to the dogs barking. All shades of primula are poking their heads at the sky, Spider's web have assumed, about them, an air of the tapestry. The berries, Spindleberry, Rose-hip and Holly, including the Rowan, have the blackbirds in a spin, old badger is feasting on the orchard's fallen, even the fox has decided to abseil down to the garden and sample the juicy woodmouse-vole-shrew-stew. The buzzard, nesting at last in the Scots pine is growing ever bolder, much to the annoyance of Charlie and Kizzy, who, at a stretch, would fit in his talons.
    Sadly, the butterflies departed some weeks ago.

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  2. A vivid picture indeed Malty. Lichen is becoming ever more abundant down here too - said to be a sign of cleaner air - as is mistletoe, spreading from apple tree to apple tree along the back gardens...

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