the sun, the moon and the truth"
Buddha
The warm weather is continuing and the garden is responding well!
The tree ferns are quickly growing new fronds
in the Jurassic garden and the
gunnera plant is growing some very large leaves. The
geranium maderense is awash with colour and the tetrapanax tree has made a growth spurt and producing many leaves.
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| Geranium maderense |
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| The tree ferns growing well |
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| Tetrapanax tree |
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| The Gunnera plant |
In the pond the Yellow Iris plants have just started to flower. By the end of next week they should look magnificent.
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| Yellow Iris |
Also in the pond dragonfly activity has been high with many Broad-bodied Chasers being observed. This is our most common breeding species in the pond.
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| Female Broad-bodied Chaser |
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| Male broad-bodied Chaser |
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The moth trap was set during the week and despite being a warm night strangely only few moths were trapped for examination. The most interesting were several specimens of
Tachystola acroxantha. This micro moth is thought to have originated from Australia and appeared in Britain in 1908.
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| The Miller |
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| Least Black Arches |
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| Tachystoma acroxantha |
In recent days the school garden and indeed the whole of Weymouth has seen a mass immigration of
plutella xylostella micro moths- also known as the Diamond Backed Moth
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| Plutella xylostella |
In the bee beds the small flowering
Campanula and the
Anchusa azurea are now flowering. The bees were quick to find them.
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| Geranium "Orion" |
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| Anchusa azurea |
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| Campanula |
Nearby other plants are doing well and the 'Desiree' potato crop is looking good with flowers just starting to form
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| The potato patch |
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| Gladioli |
In the greenhouse the new venus-fly traps are doing well having been divided from the mother plant earlier in the year
Prior to finishing for the day a party of newly fledged Long-tailed tits were heard busily feeding in the garden. With some detective work the young were found in the willow classroom waiting for the parents to return with food
Finally with a good prolonged dry spell of weather we were able to finish and 'sign off' the Jurassic look out. The supporting posts have now been treated with bitumen paint at soil level to prolong the life of them.
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| The supporting posts now treated with bitumen paint |
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| New safety notice on the look-out. Please respect this! |
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