We’ve both been busy since coming home two weeks ago - me facing a mountain of laundry and Keith, amongst other things, mowing as our housesitter didn't get around to it. I must admit I secretly rather liked our wildflower meadow! We do mow around the orchids anyway, but the pink Pyramidal Orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalis) looked lovely in amongst the grasses. There are more and more of them every year. The photos just don't do them justice.
He’s been getting the pool ready too and it is nearly up to the temperature that I like (hot) so hopefully I will get my first dip this week.
What I didn't get a photo of was a white crab spider of which I noticed three, each one on an orchid flower, waiting for insects to land, such as this Five-spot Burnet moth (Zygaena species) which was enjoying the nectar. I can't give an exact Latin name as it could be the Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet for all I know.
Out on the verge outside the garden this Long-lipped or Ploughshare Tongue Orchid (Serapias vomeracea) has turned from one flower to three with another one nearby!
The Nectar Bar looks good every year at this time, which is its peak time.
Valerian at the front, then Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' followed by Salvia 'Hot Lips'.
From the other end, with a Sedum, then more Nepeta (Cat Mint), Verbena bonariensis and Perovskia, with the large Salvia "Hot Lips' and Valerian beyond. This bed is really buzzing with loads of bumble bees of all different sizes, bee flies, Hummingbird Hawkmoths and butterflies too. There are tiny Skippers about and at least one is a Lulworth Skipper, which pleases me no end!
Remember the front bed after it had all been cut back a few months ago? Of course weeds have germinated....
.... but not just weeds. This is the Bay tree, with a Holly front centre! Not only that, but lots of the plants are coming back to life - even the Yew has shoots coming up, there's a complete Hydrangea plant up and the Hibiscus are shooting. It's so sad as they will all be dug up in about a month's time. (This photo is about 10 days old and the Bay is about a foot taller now!).
A new insect for the garden - a Stick Insect! K found a drowned one in the pool some years back but we've never seen a live one in France before. We saw a huge one in Australia years ago but in your own garden it's rather more exciting! I'm not sure which species it is as I don't have close enough photos - yes there are several different species in southern France - who would have known? 😀
A cropped version - click on the photo to see it larger and sharper.
Before we went away the Black Redstarts built another nest in our covered terrace in the same place as before. They made it in three or four days - quite incredible! Whilst away, our housesiter told us there was activity around the nest and sure enough, when we returned mum and dad birds were back and forwards feeding babies. After a little while we could see beaks peeking over the edge and eventually, with a lot of encouraging noise going on by the parents, we could see two fluffy babes standing on the edge of the nest. We have to move out of the way when they wanted to feed the young although I found if I stood with my back to the nest then the parents would go there.
The first young fledged (although we didn't see, obviously) and the next day the last two or three went. We could hear the parents making a lot of noise over the next couple of days, and one evening K said the father had flown into the shed and he hoped they were not checking it out to make their next nest there. Turned out, as daddy bird was making a lot of warning noises the next morning around the shed area, then coming to the pool fence and chirping at us, there was a fledgling which had spent the night in the shed! Daddy bird was telling us this (I did wonder, so asked K to open the shed). Babe promptly got fed well by both parents then later was gone, thankfully!
Finally I just wanted to show you the difference between the 'field' across the road when we came to view the house in summer 2019, and now. Back then it was pretty much just grassland.
But now the hillside is covered in predominantly Broom, with Hawthorns, Viburnum Tinus and some other shrubs all colonising the once grassland. I don't know how it was kept as just grass before unless it was grazed by animals or somehow the grass was cut. Now the grass that is there is so long because there is a thick thatch underneath meaning you sink in a long way - it's really hard to walk in there and there are lots of low growing brambles as well. Shame as I had envisaged myself in that meadow stalking butterflies - though thankfully I don't see many butterflies there which is good (for me!).
As I type this removals guys are packing up the basement as 'The Works' start next Monday! The drilling should take about four days, then the following week we have the tilers here for two weeks retiling the garage, workroom and spare bedroom. Finally the following week come the guys to do the concrete 'pavement' around three sides of the house so that the rain drains away from the foundations. The painting and decorating will take place in two year's time if nothing has moved/cracked during that time. Wish us luck! 😁
Hope you are all well and I will get to your blogs to see how you have been getting on soon!
P.S. The birds are back checking out the nest again - less than a week after the little ones fledged!!!
Welcome back!
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