The Green Fingered Photographer

RSS Feed Homepage

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

The Slug Report....
2007-05-27 17:27:00
To try and find out how effective the used coffee grounds from Costa Coffee were I decided to conduct a scientific test that would answer that question. I went out into the garden and herded up several slugs of varying sizes and placed them into a square of coffee grounds. The squares were in different parts of the garden and one was wet and the other was dry.After quite a few minutes the slugs started to move around. It was interesting that a first they all seemed reluctant to cross over the grounds, but eventually they plucked up the courage and some made their escape, while others stayed in the square.I'm not sure what conclusions I can reach from this as it seemed only certain types of slugs escaped. The size seemed to matter and I don't know whether bigger ones can put up with the grounds and the smaller ones can't. All I can say is that coffee grounds are not a 100% slug repellent. How ever all is not lost because the grounds have another benefit, in that they are a FREE so...
More About: Report , Repo , Slug

Costa Nothing !!!!!
2007-05-24 15:50:00
In a recent post from Ruth my attention was drawn to the possible benefit of used coffee grounds, both as a deterrent for slugs and a soil conditioner.I have carried out a bit of research from the Internet and found that Starbucks actively give away their grounds as they have carried out a study into the benefits for the garden. Further studies by various groups and organisations have also found them to beneficial and an easy way to reduce waste to landfill.We do not have a Starbucks in Telford but do have a Costa Coffee . They do not have the same policy in place as Starbucks but were very friendly and only to happy to let me have the previous days coffee grounds.Whilst we were there we had a drink and a cake, several of the staff were quite interested in what I had told them and were keen to find out how it works out. I went to collect the grounds this morning. The bag weighed about 10kg, I sorted through it and put the coffee bags to one side as I will add them to the Bokashi Buc...
More About: Thing

Vetetable Patch....Doing Nicely
2007-05-21 16:00:00
Things are doing nicely in the vegetable patch. We are still carrying out nightly sorties into the garden to keep the slug numbers under control. I am beginning to wander if there is a slug factory nearby that it working overtime, as we seem to have a never ending supply.Despite this everything is sprouting up. The broccoli has started to produce its florets, the tomatoes are flowering (bit of leaf curl, might be caused by recent colder nights), the peas are sending out their tendrils and starting to climb the poles, the potatoes bags are now full to the top with soil and we are just waiting for them to flower and the parsnip seeds are all coming up.With all the recent rain lately all the water butts are full, not wanting to waste the bath water I used The Drought Buster and watered all over the garden with the hose, the garden might not need it but at least it was not wasted.
More About: Patch , Table , Nice , Doing

Berrington Pool
2007-05-21 15:10:00
Berrington Pool is one of my favourite places to go in Shropshire . It is situated down a country lane not far from Cross Houses, Shrewsbury.I like it so much because it is one of the few places you can go to that you can't hear any traffic noise and you just have peace and quiet accompanied by bird song. It also has a remarkable amount of wild and plant life around it. At the moment yellow flag iris's are all around the edge, it wont be long before they are joined by a multitude of other wild plants. As you might of guessed I am a bit of a fan of Dragon and Damselflies and Berrington pool has a large number of species present. One of them is the Red-Eyed Damselfly. The combination of large red eyes and a azure blue body certainly makes it stand out. The males behave in a particular way as well which makes it interesting to watch them.Each male has its own territory, which is a Lilly pad. They vigorously defend their own pad from other males and wait for a female to pass ,then the...

Dragon Hunting Day
2007-05-19 18:39:00
The day was led by Mike Averill who is from The Environment Agency . Mike has a keen interest in recording the Club -Tailed Drago n fly (Gomphus vulgatissimus) as he is also the Worcester County dragonfly recorder, he briefed us on what to look for and where we would likely to find them. Our first place to search on the River Severn was at Atcham. We struck gold straight away as one of the dragonflies was emerging. This is a fascinating process to watch as it seems impossible that the dragonfly can come out of such a small case. The case left behind is called the exuvia and is collected by the British Dragonfly Society who use them to confirm hatching locations and numbers. Once it's wings have dried out the dragonfly usually flies away from the river to find cover where it can rest in safety. Club-Tailed Dragonflies are also a little different from all other British dragonflies, as their eyes are separate and not joined , which is a good pointer if you ever think you have seen one.T...
More About: Hunting , Hunt

Windy...But At Least It Was Dry..ish
2007-05-18 21:18:00
Today was the first day for a while when it has not been raining all day, I know other bloggers like Moi are desperate for rain, but I for one am glad it stopped today, well mostly.My wife and I decided to go to Whixall Moss which is a vast nature reserve managed by Natural England . Whixall is one of a group of mosses the others being Fenn’s, Bettisfield, Wem & Cadney Mosses. They form a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and straddle the English/Welsh border near Whitchurch, they are of international importance for wildlife. The Mosses are one of the most southerly lowland raised bogs in Britain and, at 948 hectares (2,340 acres), are the third largest.I like to visit here several times a year as the moss is home to several unique insects, that can not be seen anywhere else in the Midlands. Today was also the first proper day that I have been out to photograph Dragonflies and although it was extremely windy I wasn't disappointed. In fact in someways it helped because th...
More About: Windy , Indy

Forget-Me-Not !!!!!
2007-05-17 11:23:00
Forget-me-not are one of my favourite Spring flowers, they provide a much needed splash of vivid blue after a dreary Winter.One of the things that also fascinates me is how plants get their names. Most seem to be medicinal but not the Forget-me-not. The story goes......One day in medieval Germany, a knight and his lady were strolling along a river bank. The knight bent down to pick a bunch of flowers for her and, overcome by the weight of his armour, fell into the river. As he was drowning he threw the posy to his beloved and cried: Vergisz mein nicht ! - "forget-me-not !"From that romantic , somewhat tragic and doubtless legendary moment, the plant was known in Germany as the forget-me-not. It was associated with true love, and in the Middle Ages the blue flower was worn to ensure that a sweetheart stayed faithful.The tradition took hold in France, where the plant was called ne m'oubliez pas, 'do not forget me'; and aimez-moi, 'love me'.Then in 1802, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wr...
More About: Forge

Bokashi Bucket....Update
2007-05-16 12:42:00
We have had the Bokashi Buck et for two weeks so it is still early days yet but we are finding it extremely easy to use and are noticing how much less is going into the waste bin.This is important, but could become even more important if your local council decides to charge you by the weight of your household rubbish, as has been suggested by the present government. It is a good idea to start thinking of this now, so if it does happen , it would not be so much of a problem . We keep our Bokashi bin in a cupboard next to the kitchen sink so that it is easy to add your waste and is out of the way. The blue bucket contains the active bran which is the key to this composting system. We add our waste daily as it is important that the bucket is not being open and closed all of the time because air need to be kept out as much as possible to allow the active bran to work efficiently. After adding the food waste cover it with a sprinkling of bran and compress it down to reduce the amount of a...
More About: Update , Kashi

Between The Showers....
2007-05-16 11:52:00
In between the showers yesterday it was quite sunny so I decided that I would make the most of the sunny spells and go to Granville Nature Reserve . It is situated in Donnington just outside of Telford. The whole site has a very industrial past and it was the last deep mine in Shropshire closing in 1979. As a result of the mining activity lots of mounds and spoil heaps are dotted all over creating little eco habitats throughout the reserve.A rather heavy shower had just ended when I got there and the sun had come out, the hawthorn blossom caught my eye as it was glistening with the rain whilst some of it was still in shadow. Walking around the reserve the Oxeye daisy stood out , several stems were all twisted together but once again what caught my eye was the rain drops on the flower head. Oxeye daisies are a very common sight but I can't help smiling when I see them because they are a simple but beautiful flower. One of the flowers that was covering the ground in abundance was Spe...
More About: Howe , Shower , Ween , Showers

Miracles Will Happen !!!!!
2007-05-14 19:24:00
After yesterdays rain we decided to go for a walk around an area we had not been before but had been told it is a little jewel of a place.The place is old colliery mound just outside Oakengates . What is special about this place is that the mound is full of wildflowers, such as Birdsfoot Trefoil , Red Clover ,Vetch and Yellow Rattle. All of these are important food plants for many butterflies and other insects. What made the trip that bit more special was the fact that our daughter said that she wanted to come. Well after both of us got up off the floor, after falling down with surprise, off we went.This just shows that MIRACLES do happen and often at the most surprising times.......One of the first butterflies we saw was the Green Hairstreak sitting on yellow rattle. I have only seen this butterfly once before two years ago, but within the space of a couple of weeks I have seen it twice. It is such a tiny beautiful butterfly, the colour is just amazing and it changes as it moves ar...
More About: Miracles , Mira

A Month And A Day On....The Veggie Patch
2007-05-14 12:14:00
Well we asked for rain ... and boy did we get it. It never stopped all day and was really heavy so I was unable to get any photographs.I can now say that all the water butts are full, the pond has never been so full even the tadpoles have got armbands on and the garden is well and truly soaked.We even had to move the veggies that are in truggs into the garage as we were concerned that they would get waterlogged. The potatoes in the sacks are doing really well and almost everyday we are topping the bags up with soil. We have added a few more truggs to the collection and put Peppers, Aubergines and cucumbers into them, just for a bit more variety. I took this picture this morning to try and show you how wet everything is and how everything has been pushed over by the wind, I understand the combination of soaked ground and wind is not good for veggies so I hope everything will be o.k.We have also added Sweetcorn around the edges of the plot to try and maximise what we are growing. The ...
More About: Patch , The V , Month , Mont

What I Saw Today
2007-05-12 18:31:00
While out walking today not far from my home I saw two things that I had not seen before. The first one , I have been able to identify as a Dingy Skipper, it is the second new Skipper I have seen in the last few days, the other being the Grizzled Skipper in the Wyre Forest . The second one, caught my eye as the sun was shining behind the caterpillar and made the hairs stand out.This is the one I cannot identify, I initially thought it might be the caterpillar of the Burnet moth, it has quite similar markings but it's not hairy.If there is anyone out there who can identify the caterpillar please let me know..... NEWS FLASH.....I know what it is now, its the caterpillar of a Six-Spot Burnet moth. They are the daytime flying black moths with red spots. (added 13th May 07 at 6.00pm)
More About: Today

Some Of The Things We Do
2007-05-11 19:03:00
We have been enthusiastically recycling for some years now but one of the things that we have been unable to recycle to date are the Tetra Pak style of cartons. The cartons are used for all sorts of products but mainly milk and fruit juice but they are also being increasingly used for a range of other liquid foods such as soups and pasta sauces.Until now they could not be recycled however Tescos and Tetra Pak have joined forces and have started a recycling initiative. The new Tesco store in Shrewsbury will be the nearest store to us initially but the rest will follow shortly. So that is something else that can be recycled. From previous blog posts some of you will know that we are big fans of the Drought buster , it is such a simple and very user friendly bit of kit .Most of the house light bulbs have been changed over to the energy saving type of bulb, this has become easier as more types and sizes have become available and the cost has come down quite dramatically. The one product...
More About: Things , Thing , Some

Butterfly Group
2007-05-09 22:22:00
Jenny Joy , the Butt e rfly Conservation Officer for Shropshire is setting up the Shropshire Butter fly Group .If you are interested in joining the Shropshire Butterfly Group e-mail newsletter (which plans to have 3-4 issues annually) then please e-mail Jenny at jjoy@butterfly-conservation.org .The newsletter aims to report on current activities in the county as well as listing events and areas where people might be able to help conserve butterflies in Shropshire.

Dragon Hunting
2007-05-09 21:22:00
Just in case you didn't know I am a Drago n hunter, I also go after Damsels and I am so enthralled with these two things I named my Web site after them.What is he talking about I hear you say!!Well it is Dragonflies and Damselflies. The picture below is of a female Brown Hawker laying her eggs (Oviposting) and is one of the first pictures I took with a digital camera back in 2002 and I have been hooked ever since. The time of year when they start emerging is upon us and Graham French who is the Dragonflies in Focus Officer for the British Dragonfly Society is organising a training day for the Common Club-tail dragonfly (Gomphus vulgatissimus) . The training day will enable people to identify the dragonfly and be able to go out and survey this species along the River Severn.The day is being held on Saturday 19th May 2007 and is meeting at the Attingham Park car park, Shrewsbury at 10.00 am.If you would like to come along please just turn up at 10.00 am or let Graham know by e-mailing...
More About: Hunting , Hunt

Three Weeks On .......
2007-05-06 22:53:00
Everything is certainly getting bigger and most of the seeds are starting to sprout. I have also added wildflower seeds around the edges and between the pea stakes with a view of attracting insects but also to make it look nice. With it being so dry for so long the drought buster has proved to be an excellent buy as the veggie patch and the rest of the garden have only been watered with water from the bath. As we are on a water meter here I would hate to think how much it would have cost if I was watering from the house tap. I have moved the bag's of spuds to a sunnier location and they have gone mad, we have topped up the soil twice in the last few days. The onions are noticeably more onion in appearance to, though i suspect they will need thinning at some point. The slugs are not to much of a problem at the minute, it is hard to say whether this is because it is so dry or the nightly check by us and the frogs is having an effect.We even had some chives, from the patch with tea to...
More About: Three , Weeks

Some Of The Things You Can See......
2007-05-04 17:13:00
I went to the Wyre Forest this week with Jenny Joy, who is the regional officer for Butterfly Conservation . I have known Jenny for a number of years and she knew I was interested in seeing some variety's of butterfly that you can find in the Wyre Forest and I hadn't seen before. She suggested I came along , so long as I helped to record the butterfly species and numbers.The first butterfly we came across was a Grizzled Skipper. This particular one appeared not to have been hatched for long as its wings were still curled around and the hairs on its body were still damp. That was quite lucky as it allowed me to get very close.The day started to warm up and the forest started to come alive. The main attraction in the forest is the Pearl-bordered Fritillary. The forest is a stronghold to the species with many colonies dotted around . One of it s food plants is Bugle which is found along the rides throughout the wood and as a consequence this is where you tend to find the butterfly. ...
More About: Things , Thing , Some

Two Weeks On
2007-04-29 23:16:00
Thing are starting to happen!!!!The peas that were sown are now starting to sprout, the potatoes in the sacks are just showing their heads. Having never grown potatoes in bags before we are not sure when to add extra soil. Can anybody let us know.Despite attacks from the SLUG special forces the rest of the veggies are doing quite nicely. How do you deal with your slugs???We have just sown some parsnips ,turnips and leeks as a follow on crop. One of Granville Reeves Besoms ready for action in the garden. If you would like one of these brooms you can contact Granville on 07967 708947.
More About: Weeks

A week on
2007-04-22 16:39:00
A week on and not a lot appears to have changed. The slug war is being fought each night and the threat of large choppers and the frogs from the garden pond seems to be keeping them under control. Only one of the broccoli plants has been attacked but it is still hanging in there.We have added some potatoes, which we are trying in the white bags and some more onions in the coloured truggs. These can be moved around the garden to follow the sun or to just move them out of the way if we need the space. The female Goldfinch has pretty much been on her nest all week, only coming off now and again to feed. It is getting a little difficult to get a clear view now as the leaves are growing. For the past few years I have been feeding the birds out in the front of my house with sunflower hearts and niger seed from Wiggly Wigglers . The Goldfinches really love these and consume them at a great rate on knots. So far we have counted about four pairs who feed regularly. This could be why one has ...
More About: Week

Wellies are optional !!
2007-04-18 12:27:00
When we thought about the idea of the veggie garden we put some thought into how we were going to water it, especially with a long hot Summer forecast.At about the same time we received the latest Wiggly Wigglers catalogue, while looking through we found the ideal solution, The Drought Buster . I tried it out this morning and it is really easy. I had to attach an extra bit of hose onto the end , for it to reach the water butt, using the connector that is all ready attached.You don't have to wear wellies or stand in the bath to do it , but I like to wear my wellies whenever I can.After I gave the pump a few squeezes gravity took over and the water began to flow. After about five minutes the bath was empty and the water butt was half full. It just goes to show you how much water you use in a bath.I am going to leave the water to settle for a day or two before I water the veggies with it.We just hope that we don't get bubble bath flavoured carrots.We can see how useful the drought bu...
More About: Ellie , Opti , Lies , Wellies , Well

Definitely a B day
2007-04-17 19:44:00
It was going to Be one of those days when a letter of the alphabet stands out.Today was going to Be the letter B.I decided to visit Hope Valley one of Shropshire Wildlife Trust's reserves just outside of Minsterly , Shropshire .Off I started and one of the first things that struck me was the number of queen Bumble Bees there were looking for nesting sites, they were everywhere. This queen had just come out of a hole and was cleaning herself. The Bluebells had also started to come into flower, what a Beautiful site they make, one that I can never tire of.A little further into the reserve I came across this Blossom, the way the sun was catching it caught my eye. As I have said before , I love this time of the year and who can Blame me when you see Blossom like this.I had walked to the top of the reserve and took a well earned rest, luckily enough there was a bench I could sit on . I enjoyed my cuppa looking over the valley to the Stiperstones.I continued to wander and I was returnin...

What a day
2007-04-15 20:31:00
There I was having my breakfast and morning cuppa outside contemplating how we where going to plant up the vegetable patch, when I could hear a lot of twittering. I am not one of those people who can tell what type of bird it is from its singing, but I can recognise a Goldfinch. Looking around I could see one in the cherry tree in the next door neighbours garden not only that but I could see a nest with the other one sat in it.Well as you can imagine this was something special. Not only was the nest quite visible from my back garden , I have never seen one nesting before. The best thing is that from my daughters bedroom you can look down onto the nest and see three little blue and brown speckled eggs, what a result.I shall keep you posted on the developments with regular updates and photographs.After all the excitement of the Goldfinch it was time to plant up the veggie patch. As we are new to this we decided to have a mixture of seed and bought veggie seedlings, this was mainly due...

The end of the day
2007-04-14 23:19:00
Bright and early this morning I got to work. The bed is only quite small 10ft 6in X 6ft and was full of flowers and shrubs. I relocated some of the plants in the rest of the garden, but for the ones I couldn't I shared with one of my neighbours.After several hours of hot sweaty work the bed was cleared, turned over, hoed and ready to start planting up with vegetables.
More About: The D

The selected bed for the vegetable patch
2007-04-14 22:42:00
It all started on Friday the 13th April 2007. My wife had the idea of creating a vegetable patch in our small back garden. All I could think of was how unlucky for me as I would be doing most of the initial work.The garden is a genuinely small back garden measuring 16ft X 40ft and is made up of 4 identically sized beds. One bed has a pond in it which is surrounded by wild flowers while the remaining three contain a mixture of trees,shrubs and plants.We selected this particular bed because we think that it's position , in part shade and sun will suit vegetable growing. We will only find out if we made the right choice as the year progresses.
More About: Vegetable , Patch , Table , Selec , The V