Natural Pest Control

By complete chance, I have found a solution to my caterpillar problem.  I was quite happy to sacrifice the calabrese to the caterpillars as I couldn't kill the furry monsters.  However, I have found a plant they like even more - watercress!

I bought a growing pot of watercress at the supermarket and decided to put it out on the patio next to the pots of cabbage and calabrese.  The caterpillars migrated to the watercress on their own.  One morning when I went outside, I looked over at the watercress and spotted it had been completely stripped of leaves, on closer inspection, I found it heaving with caterpillars.

It actually makes perfect sense, watercress is in the same family at cabbage.  As watercress has a strong, peppery taste, I guess it must have certain chemicals which caterpillars are attracted to in greater quantities than the cabbage and calabrese.  The caterpillars are certainly happy anyway.

I have now relocated the watercress plant to the end of the garden, together with the caterpillars.  The few stragglers still on the calabrese have been rounded up and moved to the watercress with the rest.  I have even bought another plant for the caterpillars to eat, as I can't let them go hungry!

Does My Bum Look Big In This?

Watching the pigeons trying to squeeze themselves onto the bird table does amuse me. They land in the garden, waddle across the lawn and then somehow manage to fly up and into the bird table.  It is quite a haphazard affair to say the least!

The other day, I took pity on the pigeons and threw a load of stale bread onto the lawn for them.  Sadly my good deed didn't really do one poor pigeon a favour though.  One minute I looked out the back door at my two cats sunbathing on the lawn debating the origins of the saying "Never look a gift horse in the mouth" and literally the next minute I heard a squawk.  I went back to the door and was confronted by one cat mauling a very dead pigeon whilst the other cat was looking on with glee.

The poor pigeon had obviously flown into the garden and quite literally landed on two unsuspecting cats!  I can't begin to tell you how guilty I felt.  I definitely won't be throwing bread on the ground for the birds anymore. 

Blooming Late

It's Easter Sunday and Spring has finally well and truly sprung ..... apart from in my garden!  Everywhere you look there are swathes of yellow daffodils swaying in the breeze.  All of mine have yet to realise it's Spring though.  I did put some extras daffodil bulbs in during December, so I would expect those to be late but all the rest have no excuse.  A quick inspection around the garden revealed one miniature daffodil in bloom, with the rest no where near flowering yet.  No idea why.

I can't believe how much damage has been caused through the winter.  I think the prolonged cold weather, rain, wind and let's not forget the snow has really impacted on the poor plants.  Some of the pots which I have had for years have suffered bad frost damage and even my wooden half barrel has come apart.  Quite a few of the plants in pots need to be replaced including a really good lavender which is now half dead and a couple of fuschias.

On a more positive note, the birds are enjoying the continuous feast I put out for them.  As well as the usual suspects of the Robin, Blackbirds, Pigeons, Sparrows and Blue Tits, I have finally managed to attract a pair of Goldfinches with the niger seeds I put out.  Hopefully they will make my garden a more permanent stop now.

Daisy cat is definitely enjoying the better weather and variety of birds to annoy.  She spends hours waiting under a bush in the hope of catching one but always fails.  The other morning I opened the curtains to see her thoroughly entangled in the Dogwood.  I can only assume she took a flying leap at a bird and misjudged the landing.  She was having real trouble unhooking her back legs from the branches much to the amusement of a robin sat a few feet away!

Walter Wagtail

I have a single Wagtail who visits my garden most days. I've no idea if it is male or female but I shall assume it is a lonely male in search of a mate. I'm probably completely wrong and it is a very happily single female!

Anyway, I find him quite entertaining as he struts around the garden. You can see why they are called Wagtails with their tail feathers bobbing up and down with every step. Their little spindly legs amuse me too, as well as their heads jerking backwards and forwards.

Watching the bird at the weekend suddenly reminded me of a rhyme my father used to say to me when I was small. I would sit on his lap and he would say, "Walter, Walter Wagtail sat upon a wall. Walter, Walter Wagtail fell down the hole!" As my father said the word "hole", his legs would part and I would drop down the gap. My father would be holding me under my arms to stop me hitting the floor though. He would then pull me up and say the rhyme all over again. I used to shriek with laughter as he would delay the moment he said "hole", so that I never quite knew when I would drop.

At the weekend, Mr Wagtail was sat on my fence posing for ages. What you don't realise from the photo is that he was actually having a Mexican standoff with my cat Dylan who had decided to sit on the patio by the bread I had thrown out there. Dylan, bless him, was convinced the birds wouldn't spot him sat there. It was so cold, he soon gave up and came back indoors though, leaving the birds to their breakfast.