2008 Early Flowers Bees Newts & Frogspawn > May arrives

Early May now & Frogs plus Toads are showing their probably 3 or 4 generations at the front Puddle, Tadpoles keep developing at the largest rear puddle.

All seem to take up residence at their own 'Puddle', Newts can take a smallest puddle so more than one puddle is best & placed well apart about a garden & the little freshly hatched Newts are present in their 'smallest' puddle.

@ & Newts in 3 generations, ages, sizes & 2 different types start showing in that little puddle at 'the shed'!, only known as a Summerhouse to the posh. SALLY PUSSYCAT the 17 yrs Old Rescued Tigress will walk with you up to them, sniff them, say "Brrrp" & walk on as if she knew them well.

Toads plus other Amphibians number around 15 of a dark evening on the front lawn, same at rear garden & plenty along both sides paths & they climb into the ornamental plant pots after slugs & snails.

So, fingers crossed, we are not losing plants to the slimeys & we do not need toxin! at all, so by day the amphibians & birds can trust to eat a plentiful amount of slugs & snails here.

Largest level of the Gardening fraternity who possessively upset the food chain are I am sad to say my fellow oldies, who guard their crops possessively from slugs & snails saying "they will not eat my best flower or cabbage & end up chucking poison pellets & crystals around, this attracts more slugs & snails, the Companies selling to the oldies are laughing up their sleeves, Toxin users are killing food chain sections & hurting nature plus themselves, if they bothered asking themselves "where does each year's Toxin go???"). They have ended up killing some slugs & snails, attracted much more & Birds, hedgehogs, Foxes Badgers Slow worms Newts Toads Frogs, will all have eaten poisoned ones plus dogs & cats ever hunting such also get poisoned.

Think a little, it helps to leave cutting the lawns until Daisies & Dandelion Flowers & Clover heads actually show, keep watch if you can to see Toads, Newts Frogs plus birds pay attention to plant heads & if you watch closely you will see them eat or take petals etc away to get sugary contents for themselves & offspring.

Newts are the most capable of the Jurassic survivor types!, harmed most when Farmers dipped sheep not so long back, infecting themselves plus practically wiping out Newts, which are not above hitching lifts on Sheep coats plus other creatures drinking wherever & as water dries up and diminishes at one place they know animals have to find & go to water

This way of following where they can get their Newts Survival underway has been used since time, they can take their young on their backs & hang on in deep fleece, no harm at all until their 'travelling means' finds more water.!! Amazing things Newts!!.

A pair of Newts or Family take over & protect a puddle, they limit their own brood of 'Newtpoles' survivors to around 8, beware Tadpoles too when they are in their Spring to Summer Carnivorous mode.

More than one Small garden "water features" go a long way further to helping amphibians survive, they pay it all back protecting a garden, they simply do not go where Toxin is used & small Puddles get to be used by separate species rather than using one large water feature as the Gardeners Programme chose to term it.

Below, Echium Pininana! 3 yrs to flower & here they are, always worth it. Seeds packs available, 25 Seeds 50 pence & postage, that is to be paid to PDSA. Sounds a good suggestion, let's see if it works!!.

Below:- Just a Foxglove?, not quite, this is a type which has its trumpets angled upwards not the normal downwards angle.

Below is mama Frog nr. the centre watching over 2 sizes of offsprings in the Front little Puddle.

Below Clematis Montana dying away now, the President Blue ones & Sparkler pink and Cream ones are there, far end has the caramel smelling White Clematis & some yellow Cloche ones will follow , plus the Maroon types of Wisley Clematis.

Above is the Iceplant or Arctic plants as they are called which only open in sun.

Echiums Below growing at rear of House

Rhododendruns out!

Echiums below in front of the Garage!

Echium Flowers, below is closer view, even with Bees!

Late May 2008, a Jay needing food after a rough weather spell, all you have to do with a flower basket is put a small dish in amongst the flowers so you can clean it out periodically. Picture taken by a common Fuji 4 Camera through the Patio window too by Janet.