Wildlife Corner

[Cathy]

Loving these great pictures, aren't the close-up designs of flowers just wonderful.

[hartley353]

Cathy when you enter into the world of Macro photography it is like visiting another world very addictive, when you see what natural selection can do without the meddling of men it is truly amazing.

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[Cathy]

Last Summer we had a lone kangaroo in our street, very unusual, and the only reason I noticed it was because my cat was acting a bit strange, (she smelt the kangaroo before I saw it wandering up the street), and headed for the front windows, she wasn't quite sure what to make of it and was very alert even after it had been gone for ages. The only way out for the kangaroo was to head for our main road... hope all went OK.

Coming home today, my neighbour and I came upon a lone duck wandering up our street. We have a duck pond within a 10 minute walk, lots of ducks and a lovely spot. I've often gone 'down' to sit at this duck pond, watch the ducks, sometimes feed them stale bread, taking in the lovely scenery. I've also walked the nearby streets often and noticed just how far the ducks also go for a wander. But it's the first time I've known one of these ducks to come quite so far. The duck was quacking to us and looked quite young. We slowed down one car, phew, but had to leave. Funnily enough my cat was acting strangely again when i entered my home, she couldn't see the duck but she could smell it. I only hope it crossed the semi-main road safely and got home safely to it's pond. Here in Adelaide we have an unwritten law that if you see a duck, you slow down or stop so that the duck(s) can cross the road , this 'law' applies mainly around our cities River Torrens, I hope for this stray duck that it applies in our suburbs too. Fingers crossed.

[hartley353]

The cabbage white can be attractive close up.

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[plaques]

Two crows with superman on the left.

[LizG]

The cabbage white can be attractive close up.

Until they lay eggs that hatch into green caterpillars and reek havoc in the vegie patch.

[PanBiker]

Our front garden is testament to that!

[Wendyf]

They are devastating my cabbage patch too...never seen as many!

[Tizer]

The cabbage white can be attractive close up.

Until they lay eggs that hatch into green caterpillars and reek havoc in the vegie patch.

But Liz, that's ecology in action - brassica plants are the natural food of that insect. You are competing with the insect for its own food supply so you can't expect it to sit back and let you win without a fight. And its ancestors were there before your ancestors (and even before the Aborigine ancestors), so its got a stronger claim on the food supply locally!

[Bruff]

Thankfully I've no cabbage patch, but there are loads round here too. Can't look out of the window and not see one flutter by. It's country wide - the other week we were in Bucks and there were loads there, and some folk there from Norfolk noted the same. I wonder why? There was also a dramatic elderflower crop this year, which I'd noticed.

Richard Broughton

[hartley353]

This spider came to my attention after small green caterpillars denuded my Gooseberry bush of leaves.

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Apologies to those who dislike Spiders.

[Wendyf]

My single gooseberry bush was stripped of its leaves too...a nice crop of berries though.

[hartley353]

My single gooseberry bush was stripped of its leaves too...a nice crop of berries though.

Our fruit was all safe and became a crumble last weekend, not enough for jam, unlike the cherry tree which gave two jars of jam this year.

[hartley353]

This is a Horn worm. I caught this one dining out on one of our Acers.

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The condemned beast ate a hearty last meal.

[hartley353]

Out at first light in the Cheshire countryside this morning small parties of Greylag and Canada geese every where, two days before the fullmoon there was enough light for them to have left their roosts and gone for a late supper. It makes you wonder if when there is no light they spend the night with a rumbling tum.

[hartley353]

Here's a picture of a wasp sticking its tongue out, Obviously didn't wish for its photo to be taken.[attachment=0]DSC_1480_705.JPG

[Wendyf]

I went to sit out with a cuppa a few minutes ago and discovered that it was flying ant day around here... ..I retreated indoors quickly.

[Stanley]

I was struck by the number of butterflies in the front garden yesterday evening.

[hartley353]

Flower flies.

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[Gloria]

Wendy I hate them, they bubble up out of their little holes under the large flags at the back of the house. For the last couple of years I have been throwing the bleach water (after mopping the kitchen) over the flags and we have had none, either I have missed them or killed them off.

[Tizer]

I went to sit out with a cuppa a few minutes ago and discovered that it was flying ant day around here... ..I retreated indoors quickly.

Same thing down here in Somerset! The dragonflies and swallows were enjoying them, it must be like eating salt n vinegar crisps!

Opened the lounge curtains and on the sunken patio there was a young pigeon which couldn't fly and couldn't get up the steps back to the garden. Put my gardening gloves on, picked it up and left it down the end of the garden. It was either that or pigeon for tonight's meal!

[hartley353]

Taken with a 400mm lens, so as not to disturb the family.

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[hartley353]

Natures timepiece. The dandelion clock.

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[hartley353]

View from the garden.

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[hartley353]

Yesterday morning I was out before the sun, the water I was to fish is on a private estate. As I drove aong the estate roads the fields to either side were alive with rabbits the usual two rabbit diseases had virtually wiped them out last year, how quickly can they rebound back. This now explains the large number of Buzzards which are seen there now, the larder is full. During my five hour fishing session I had next to me a container of sweet corn the odour of which drew in every large black slug in the neighbourhood, can this be the start of a new way of trapping slugs. Usually I go out at night with a torch and remove them from my veggie patch now i shall try sunken tins of niblets.