The Green Fingered Photographer

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Photo Hunters
2008-03-29 16:22:00
This weeks theme....HighHow To Join Photo Hunters Click here to see who else is playing Photohunt or checkout photohunt on Technorati. Last summer, we spent our Holiday in the Aude region of southern France.One of the places we visited was the Gorges de Galamus(click picture to enlarge)From High up on the car park you can see right down into the gorge, in the top picture you can see the hermitage of St Antoine, half way down on the right hand side. A popular activity in the gorge was canyoning and judging by the whoops of delight the people were certainly getting a natural HighThe gorge was a beautiful place, with the vegetation growing around the blue pools , it had a very calming effect and I was in awe of its beauty from up on High

Wednesday Wanderings - Your Chance To Win
2008-03-26 18:06:00
Over the past couple weeks I have been showcasing pictures on a related theme from my photographic wanderings. This is the fourth week .I will display the fourth picture together with all the three previous pictures for you to vote for your favourite. You can vote by leaving a comment on my blog . One lucky voter will win a A4 mounted print (400mm x 500mm mount) of their favourite picture (completely free of charge including P&P), which would normally be £35.00. I will choose the winner by putting the comments in a virtual hat and then notifying the winner via their blog. (the only time I will require an address is to be able to post the winning picture, once this has been done the address will be destroyed and will not be passed on to any 3rd party) The theme for this quartet has been ... Black And WhiteThis picture is called...Gliding Swan I took this on one of my many visits to Berrington Pool, The swan just glided past me after feeding amongst the water lilies.Here are the ...
More About: Chance , Wednesday

Environmental Projects In Your Community
2008-03-25 18:35:00
If you live in the U.K. and would like to carry out an environmental project involving your community and it is in a public open space then why not get in touch with Community Service Volunteers . They are giving away grants up to £50 to groups carrying out community environmental work. The grants are being funded by Morrisons and are available up to the 31st July 2008. You can register your project online or ring them on 0121 328 7455 for a registration pack.Why not give it a go , I am.While we are on the subject of awards, the Mouse and Trowel 2008 Awards are currently in the nomination stage. You can nominate your favourite blog or podcast up to the 13th April 2008.Categories include :-Blog AwardsBest WritingBest PhotographyBest Blog DesignMost Innovation in Garden BloggingBest North American Garden BlogBest International Garden BlogGarden Blogger You’d Most Like to Have as a NeighborBest New Garden BlogPost of the YearGarden Blog of the Year Website and Podcast AwardsBest Gar...
More About: Projects , Environmental

Green Roof Update - Green Thumb Sunday
2008-03-23 14:12:00
How To Join Green Thumb Sunday Green Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiMy Green Roof has been up and running for 3 weeks now and a few changes have taken place.I have added a bug box , made from the left over wood that went around the edge. I filled it with dried teasel stems and hopefully it will provide shelter and breeding places for bees, ladybirds and lacewings that will visit the flowers on the roof . I have added more plants as well, most are alpines so they should be used to the growing conditions they will experience on the roof. I have also added 5 wild strawberries ( Fragaria vesca ) around the edge so that they will dangle over. I have also added several logs from my garden with the intention of creating a focal point and also additional habitat for insects. Many of the wildflower and grass seeds that I sprinkled on are also starting to emerge, so I imagine in a couple of weeks the roof will look very different again. As promised here is a c...
More About: Update

Photo Hunters
2008-03-22 16:09:00
This weeks theme....MetalHow To Join Photo Hunters Click here to see who else is playing Photohunt or checkout photohunt on Technorati.Have you ever wondered how they join two pieces of metal rail track together?I have, and luckily enough they were doing just such a thing right bu my signal box. A lot of preparation went into it before the welding could actually take place. Stretcher bars were placed on the rail to give it tension at the join and special sand from Germany was used to make the mould were the join was to be made. The sand has a very high silica content and is only found in Germany.A contraption not unlike a cauldron, with a hole in the bottom, was placed above the mould. Then the magic happened, several things were poured into the cauldron type thing and a catalyst 'called the Bomb' was added and a chemical reaction took place.The molten metal then poured out of the cauldron into the mould and fused the two pieces of rail together with a very strong weld. It was fasc...

Spring Flower Favourites
2008-03-21 12:05:00
Spring Flower s Favourites ...currently doing their thing in my back garden I might have said this once or twice before , but Spring is most definitely my favourite time of the year, The green of the tree buds, is so fresh and full of promise and the flowers are definitely grin material after the dull winter.I have a patch of Wood Sorrel in a wooden planter, that I made some years ago, it sits in a shady damp part of my back garden , but the lime green leaves and the white flowers certainly brighten this area up. One of my beds tends to be a bit damper and slightly woodlandy in feel, this is were the Snakes Head Fritillary lives. It is so different from anything else this time of year and such and interesting colour. Over in another bed that tends to get more sun the Grape Hyacinth flourishes. I don't have to do anything to it and every now and then just split it and put it somewhere else or share with a neighbour. I have to say though that my favourite plant at this time of the year...
More About: Spring

Wednesday Wanderings - The Black and White Quartet
2008-03-19 11:20:00
Over this next four week period I will be showcasing more pictures on a related theme from my photographic wanderings. At the end of the four weeks I will display all four pictures for you to vote for your favourite. You can vote by leaving a comment on my blog . One lucky voter will win a A4 mounted print (400mm x 500mm mount) of their favourite picture (completely free of charge including P&P), which would normally be £35.00. I will choose the winner by putting the comments in a virtual hat and then notifying the winner via their blog.(the only time I will require an address is to be able to post the winning picture, once this has been done the address will be destroyed and will not be passed on to any 3rd party)The theme for this quartet is...Black and White This picture is called...Hill TopIf you fancy seeing spectacular views of Shropshire, then Earl's Hill is the place to go. Around the foot of the hill, you will also find woodlands, packed with animals, meadows full of ...
More About: Quartet , Wednesday , Black and White

Frog Love In The Garden Pond...
2008-03-18 15:09:00
Today must have been just right for some Frog Love ... I popped out into the garden this morning to see how the frogs were getting on, as it's usually around this time of year they spawn. I was greeted by this smiling frog, so I guessed something had been going on. Lo and behold some spawn and a mass brawl with the other frogs. I have seen around 10 frogs in my pond at once , and I think most of them are here. Out of all of the frogs, the females must be at a premium, as only this happy couple were actually mating. The rest were getting back legs in their faces from the lucky male, who was holding on for dear life. This one must have had enough and was content to watch the snail float by.Have your frogs spawned yet ?
More About: Garden , Pond , In The Garden

Life Is Returning To The Wildlife Area At The Signal box
2008-03-16 17:02:00
How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiThings are beginning to stir at the wildlife area at my Signal box . I have put in a lot of hard work this winter getting it ready . The picture below is a new area that has been created. Previously it was piled high with all of the trees and branches that I had cut back over the last 6 years. Unfortunately it was also providing an ideal habitat for rats, so it had to be cleared up.Luckily enough we had engineering work on the line for the past few weekends and no trains were running , so I was able to have a big fire to get rid of the pile. With the area now cleared, I have planted two pear trees and a couple of hedging trees. I will also be adding some wildflowers and wild strawberries in the next few days. This is the view from the signal box over looking the wildlife area. At the moment it is dotted with daffodils and cowslips. The rosemary and lavender are getting quite big now ...
More About: Life , Wildlife , Area , The Signal

A Big Thank You To Dave...Who Ever You Are
2008-03-15 12:44:00
Thank You Dave A couple of months ago I was a recipient of one of those events that helps to restore your faith in human nature. I regularly write articles for The Wellington News and it's sister newspaper The Shropshire Relish. I have been doing it for a year now and one of the first articles I wrote about was the wildlife area that I had created at my signal box. Well arriving at work a few months ago I was greeted by a plastic bag hanging from the gate. Looking inside the bag I found loads of packets of vegetable and flower seeds and a note written on top of the article I had wrote about the wildlife area. The note said " Enjoy at work or home, well done Dave in Monkmoor".To this day I don't know who Dave is, so if you read this Dave, a very big heartfelt thank you.Their was so many seeds that I have also been able to pass some onto my neighbours and Shropshire Wildlife Trust, so Dave your seeds are being completely used. I took the opportunity to sow the seeds yesterday . I pur...

Wednesday Wanderings - The Black and White Quartet
2008-03-12 17:06:00
Over this next four week period I will be showcasing more pictures on a related theme from my photographic wanderings. At the end of the four weeks I will display all four pictures for you to vote for your favourite. You can vote by leaving a comment on my blog . One lucky voter will win a A4 mounted print (400mm x 500mm mount) of their favourite picture (completely free of charge including P&P), which would normally be £35.00. I will choose the winner by putting the comments in a virtual hat and then notifying the winner via their blog.(the only time I will require an address is to be able to post the winning picture, once this has been done the address will be destroyed and will not be passed on to any 3rd party)The theme for this quartet is...Black and White This picture is called...Frosted Daisy This daisy is one of the flowers that resides at the wildlife garden next to my signal box You can view all the 'Wednesday Wandering' pictures at my web site Dragons and Damsels W...
More About: Quartet , Black and White

Gardeners Beware...Purchase Tools At Your Own Risk
2008-03-11 15:09:00
If you can't prove you are over 18 and you wish to purchase garden tools from Wyvale Garden Centers, you might be in for a surprise.... For many years now I have been a fan of Wolf garden tools. I particularly like using the Multi-Change tools, as many different heads will fit numerous size handles, enabling you to use the right tool for the job. Well I needed a larger rake head , for a forthcoming project, and I decided that the nearest place to get one would be the Wyvale in Donnington. The rake I was after was this bow rake.It is made of solid, high quality steel and the special advantage is that it can be used for two tasks: the strong tines will loosen soil and when turned round can be used for levelling out the soil. It also has these attributes...and another that I didn't know about, but was soon to discover.Width - 35cm Curved teeth can be pulled through smoothly and easily.For soil and gravel.Flat top for levelling seed beds. I added the rake to my trolley and had a bit o...
More About: Tools , Risk , Beware , Purchase , Gardeners

Great Food Source This Time Of Year.
2008-03-09 07:03:00
How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiThe Goat Willow or Pussy Willow (Salix Caprea) is a very important tree around this time of year.This is because by flowering early, the goat willow provides bees and other insects with both pollen and nectar when few other flowers are available. The name goat willow refers to the fondness of goats for this willow's early spring foliage.It is the male catkins that provide the nectar and pollenThe trees is pollinated by wind and insects, as you can see they get covered in the pollen, transferring it from one tree to the next. These pictures were taken at The Ercall , which is a nature reserve not far from where I live. It is not only useful to insects, it's bark yields tannin, that is used for tanning leather naturally, and Aspirin is derived from the salicin extracted from the bark. So you can see not only does Goat Willow look nice , it has uses for insects and humans alike.
More About: Food , Time , Great , Source , Year

Photo Hunters
2008-03-08 07:34:00
This weeks theme....DifferentHow To Join Photo Hunters Click here to see who else is playing Photohunt or checkout photohunt on Technorati.I think that this lizard was trying to be a bit different and stand out from the lizard crowd by sticking it's tail on differently....

Mist And Fog - Images from Colemere Lake
2008-03-06 22:47:00
Last week when we had a bad spell of heavy frosts my wife and I decided we would go out for a drive to Ellesmere in the north of Shropshire. We had been many times before in the summer and had enjoyed lovely walks and an ice cream around the main lake of Ellesmere, which the town is named after. The whole area is made up of nine glacial lakes and is known as the 'Lake district of Shropshire' . Our destination this day was Colemere Lake . The lake is surrounded by fields and in one of these was this forlorn looking horse, all alone in it's field, it did however make for a nice shot through the holly hedge. If it had known that I'm sure it would have cheered it up. The lake itself has a path all the way around it and it is a pleasant walk, but what made it special this day was the heavy hoare frost and the mist on the lake. I'm really very pleased with these two shots, as the mist gives the images a great atmosphere and the colour in the vegetation adds that little bit extra to t...
More About: Images , Mist

Wednesday Wanderings - The Black and White Quartet
2008-03-05 14:56:00
Over this next four week period I will be showcasing more pictures on a related theme from my photographic wanderings. At the end of the four weeks I will display all four pictures for you to vote for your favourite. You can vote by leaving a comment on my blog . One lucky voter will win a A4 mounted print (400mm x 500mm mount) of their favourite picture (completely free of charge including P&P), which would normally be £35.00. I will choose the winner by putting the comments in a virtual hat and then notifying the winner via their blog.(the only time I will require an address is to be able to post the winning picture, once this has been done the address will be destroyed and will not be passed on to any 3rd party)The theme for this quartet is...Black and White This picture is called...What Time Is It???Only Mr Wolf can tell you this....unless he gobbles you all up first.You can view all the 'Wednesday Wandering' pictures at my web site Dragons and Damsels Wildlife Photograph...
More About: Quartet , Black and White

The Winner For The Fourth Wednesday Wanderings Is...
2008-03-03 10:36:00
Congratulations Go To....A from A Changing Life Who chose Woodland Walk The mounted picture will be on its way in the next few days . Wednesday Wanderings starts all over again this Wednesday, so watch out for the next quartet of pictures .If you would like to see all of the previous pictures you can visit my web site and look in the Wednesday Wanderings gallery.
More About: Winner

Run Out Of Space - Then Go To The Roofs....
2008-03-02 12:36:00
How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiHave you run out of space in your garden for more flowers or vegetables. I have , as my garden is only 40ft x 16ft. It is split into 4 beds with a path way between them. One contains a pond, one is the vegetable patch and the other two are full of trees and flowers. The only way for me to go was to create a Living Roof on my shed , which is 6ft x 6ft.Taking advise from the article on domestic green roofs I strengthened the roof and the sides of my shed . I was quite lucky in doing this as there was a 2 inch gap underneath the roof which allowed me to slot the supporting timber into. The next step was to cover the shed with a waterproof membrane, I used a sheet of pond liner to do this. The edging was then added, with the end where the rain water would drain off from having holes drilled into it. I used the wood that I made my raised bed from as this has already been treated and was t...
More About: Space

Zwartbles Sheep And Mistletoe
2008-02-29 15:06:00
You may be asking yourself two questions at this point....Firstly what are Zwartbles Sheep ??? And secondly what have they got to do with Mistletoe ???Well let me explain. I recently took a trip down to to deliver the mounted pictures for the New Wiggly Collection 2008 that I have produced. After a very nice cup of tea and a slice of cake with Heather, I asked Alison (who is part of the telephone team at Wiggly's) if I could go down to her farm and take some pictures of her sheep. She knew for some time I had wanted to see the sheep, as they are a bit of a rare breed in this country. So with direction in hand off I went to her Farm and met up with her brother who took me around to see the sheep. As you can see they are slightly different from your normal white fleeced varieties, they are in fact Zwartbles . The sheep originate from the Freisland region of Holland. Where since the beginning of the last century, dairy farmers have kept Zwartbles Sheep.As you can see from this ewe and...

Wednesday Wanderings - Your Chance To Win
2008-02-27 13:45:00
Your chance to win...Just in time for Mothers DayOver the past couple weeks I have been showcasing pictures on a related theme from my photographic wanderings. This is the fourth week .I will display the fourth picture together with all the three previous pictures for you to vote for your favourite. You can vote by leaving a comment on my blog . One lucky voter will win a A4 mounted print (400mm x 500mm mount) of their favourite picture (completely free of charge including P&P), which would normally be £35.00. I will choose the winner by putting the comments in a virtual hat and then notifying the winner via their blog. (the only time I will require an address is to be able to post the winning picture, once this has been done the address will be destroyed and will not be passed on to any 3rd party)The theme for this quartet is....Woodlands This picture is called...Beech WoodAutumn is one of my favourite times to be in the woods, the colours and smells really do it for me. Beech...
More About: Chance , Wednesday

Green Thumb Sunday - Tit Boxes
2008-02-24 17:20:00
How To Join Green Thumb Sunday Green Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiAfter making my raised bed last week I had some wood left over that I said would be perfect for making nest boxes for Blue Tits and Great Tits . Well there was enough to make two boxes. As you can see I part cut the wood to show you the pieces you would need to make the boxes. I followed the instructions from here Hey presto... two bird boxes. The one on the right was made last year . It has the right size hole for a Great tit. I brought it back in to give it a good clean out before reattaching it to a tree. I use a bicycle inner tube , that is beyond repair, to attach them to the trees. As this stops you damaging the tree and it will also stretch with the tree as it grows.The one to the left is the one I made today and is for Blue Tits. You can also use a bit of inner tube to make the hinge for the lid.I will keep you updated on how these boxes go and hopefully will be used by the b...

Photo Hunters
2008-02-23 16:26:00
This weeks theme....WoodenHow To Join Photo Hunters Click here to see who else is playing Photohunt or checkout photohunt on Technorati.Whilst out and about in the Woodlands around Llynclys Common near Oswestry, Shropshire. I came across this Wooden door. An odd place to find a door in the middle of the Woods, surrounded by ivy and vines, I thought.... Would you enter it to see where it leads????

Toad Patrol - Volunteers Sought
2008-02-22 01:05:00
Toad Patrol...Buckets At The Ready Although normally associated with water, toads spend most of their time on dry land. They are Britain’s largest amphibian, but are not found in Ireland. When they are not in water they can be found in fields, woodlands, gardens and under hedgerows in fact anywhere you would expect to find their food supply of insects, slugs and worms.They are creatures of habit and after their nightly feed you will often find them in the same place, resting. They can be difficult to spot though as they can take on the colouring of the soil in their chosen habitat, allowing them to blend in really well. With being a creature of habit toads tend to return to the same breeding pond, year after year, which is usually the original pond in which they developed. As they can live for up to 40 years, this can create a problem. In that time roads can be built by the pond, the toads are not aware of this and as a result many will be inadvertently killed by passing cars.One...
More About: Volunteers , Toad

Wednesday Wanderings
2008-02-20 10:48:00
Over this next four week period I will be showcasing more pictures on a related theme from my photographic wanderings. At the end of the four weeks I will display all four pictures for you to vote for your favourite. You can vote by leaving a comment on my blog . One lucky voter will win a A4 mounted print (400mm x 500mm mount) of their favourite picture (completely free of charge including P&P), which would normally be £35.00. I will choose the winner by putting the comments in a virtual hat and then notifying the winner via their blog.(the only time I will require an address is to be able to post the winning picture, once this has been done the address will be destroyed and will not be passed on to any 3rd party)The theme for this quartet is....WoodlandsThis picture is called...Rocky PathWhilst walking along this path, I had a feeling of being watched, looking around noboby was there. The only things present were the trees, perhaps they were the ones watching and Ents actuall...
More About: Wednesday

How To Recycle Your Tetra Pak Packaging
2008-02-18 19:35:00
How To Recycle Your Tetra Pak Packaging For quite sometime it has not been possible to recycle Tetra Pak style food cartons. That has all changed now. Throughout the country locations have been set up for you to recycle these cartons, mainly at supermarkets. The Tetra Pak industry has put together this Web Site giving you plenty of information about the packaging and how to recycle the cartons. Their is an interactive map at the top of the page giving the locations throughout the country where you can take the packaging.If you would like great useful tips on recycling as much as you can ,you wouldn't go far wrong by visiting Almost Mrs Average at the The Rubbish Diet, she lives at Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk and is aiming to reduce her families waste as much as possible to coinside with Zero Waste Week which is being run by the local council commencing on the 10th March.If you have any more tips for Almost Mrs Average to help her reach her goal she would be more than happy to hear f...

Green Thumb Sunday - Bokashi And Raised Bed
2008-02-17 11:14:00
How To Join Green Thumb Sunday Green Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiSince my rather poor effort with my vegetable patch last year I decided that I had to make certain changes if I was to improve this year.The main lesson I learn't last year was that my soil was quite poor as it was very clayey. After the vegetable patch was finished last year added plenty of organic matter to help with this and gave it a good forking and turned it over. I then let nature and the frosts take their course and break the lumps down for me. I have also added another trench of Bokashi to help improve the nutriant level. Once the Bokashi is in the trench you just cover it over with the soil and let it do it's thing. I still felt though that the only way to have a better crop of vegetables this year, would be to make a raised bed. I purchased six 3 meter lenghts of kick board. This is the wood that you can see goes along the bottom of my fence. It is treated and has a life...

Winners Announced For The One World One Heart Event
2008-02-14 11:01:00
I'm pleased to announce the winners of my give away, but before I do I must thank Lisa Oceandreamer over at Heart Of The Nest for organising such a wonderful event.Well over 400 bloggers took part from all over the world covering every type of art you could think of. So to the winners, I say winners, because I have had so many comments about my photographs I decided that their would be two winners.... to help me do this I used a random number generator. And soCongratulations Go To....Dee at Red Dirt Ramblings who voted for the Sunflower Mosaic And Pea at Pea's Corner who voted for the Shed Door Congratulations to you both and I will be in touch shortly.You can view all the 'Wednesday Wandering' pictures at my web site Dragons and Damsels Wildlife Photography in the Wednesday Wanderings gallery , as this monthly competition will carry on.If you didn't win but would still like one of the pictures, a special offer price of a mounted 'Wednedsay Wanderings' picture of £25.00 will...
More About: Event , World , Winners

Wednesday Wanderings
2008-02-13 12:31:00
Over this next four week period I will be showcasing more pictures on a related theme from my photographic wanderings. At the end of the four weeks I will display all four pictures for you to vote for your favourite. You can vote by leaving a comment on my blog . One lucky voter will win a A4 mounted print (400mm x 500mm mount) of their favourite picture (completely free of charge including P&P), which would normally be £35.00. I will choose the winner by putting the comments in a virtual hat and then notifying the winner via their blog.(the only time I will require an address is to be able to post the winning picture, once this has been done the address will be destroyed and will not be passed on to any 3rd party)The theme for this quartet is....WoodlandsThis picture is called...Woodland Walk I took this picture whilst wandering around the woods that are by Haughmond Abbey , last Autumn. The ruined abbey is just on the outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire and is a very peace...
More About: Wednesday

National Nest Box Week 14th - 21st February
2008-02-11 14:53:00
This week sees the launch of National Nest box weekNational Nest Box Week takes place each year from 14th-21st February to focus the nation’s attention on the provision of nest boxes for Britain’s birds and other wildlife. After 10 years it is now an established part of the ornithological calendar.It is organised each year by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Britain’s leading bird research charity, whose work primarily involves studying the populations of our common and garden birds. The aim of National Nest Box Week is to encourage everyone to put up nest boxes to help our breeding birds and other wildlife. The natural nest sites on which many of our bird species depend, such as holes in trees and buildings, are fast disappearing as gardens and woods are ‘tidied’ and old houses are repaired. Since National Nest Box Week was launched in 1997 thousands of enthusiastic naturalists across the UK have put up boxes to compensate for this loss. It is estimated that there...

Green Thumb Sunday - Spring Has Sprung
2008-02-10 07:10:00
How To Join Green Thumb Sunday Green Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiThis picture of catkins was taken on the 8th February 2007.This one was taken of hazelnut catkins on the 6th February 2008...a bit of a difference.As you can see the hazelnuts are also in flower. You can click on the picture and you will see the tiny red flowers just by the buds. Both pictures were taken from the same place, the wooded area in front of my house. The weather has been really mild this winter and am sure many gardeners will be suprised to be seeing plants in flower several weeks ahead from when they would normally, like these dasies in the grass. To date I havn't seen many insects, so plants that are in flower now probably won't get pollinated, resulting in less fruit later on. All in all it seems a worring trend and one that seems to be changing faster and faster each year. This picture has nothing to do with the weather. I took it the other day and it reminded me on...
More About: Spring