NO AUGUST HEATWAVE AGAIN?

Summer is definitely here in meteorological terms, but the actual weather is not living up to what the calendar says.

Apart from the odd few days of warmth it’s been fairly mediocre and often cloudy and damp.

The garden hasn’t been growing as quickly as normal, particularly the tomatoes and sunflowers – the latter suffering some damage in the strong winds recently.

The birds are not regular visitors, with only the odd dishevelled looking adult robin, fledgling robin chick, blackbird or swopping swallow seen.

They will be expected to ‘improve’ their attendance in the coming weeks, as the adults finish their moulting.

It feels as if autumn is waiting in the wings and summer knows this, and has given up on delivering something like summer weather.

Only time will tell, but time is running out for some proper sunny and warm weather.

BLOOMING GARDEN

The wet summer has so far resulted in lots of greenery, but not much in the way of other colours.

Over the last couple of weeks my garden has started to be full of vibrant colours from a wide variety of plants.

The numerous poppy, sunflower and rudbeckia plants are in full bloom and along with the gladiola and smaller flowers, are providing a colourful display.

There has been lots of bees making use of the pollen which is good news as the decline of food giving plants for the bees is a serious problem, especially for pollination of our food and crops.

I'm not sure if any of my sunflowers will reach over 10ft this year, but one or two might surprise me.

The tomatoes and pepper plants are going well and starting to show fruit, though how many will make it through the full growth is unknown.

I'm hoping to see my first red tomato by the end of July, especially as some of the pants I gave away to friends and family are already bearing fruit!

The birds are starting to come back into the garden and I've started hearing the warning calls again of the great tit and seen some young blue tits.

This weekend I've seen some fledgling robin chicks around the garden and along with the blackbirds, they are making use of the worms and other insects.

One thing I have noticed is the tree and house sparrows are not visiting in the same numbers, which I think is down to the chicks in nearby nests fledging and the parents showing them the neighbourhood while moulting themselves.

The swallows are increasing in number as youngsters fledge and join parents for formation flying to catch insects.

The wet weather is providing the swallows with a glut of food, when it stops and the sun warms up the air enough for the insects to take flight.

I'm hoping to have some more pics next week as I'm currently typing with one hand due to an injection into my elbow to help cure a long standing injury, so taking pics and writing with one hand isn't easy and it's taken me a while to complete this post!

WET, WILD AND HUMID SUMMERTIME

In the last week of so the number of bees and butterflies has increased in the garden, as the wet and mild(ish) weather has made for excellent growing conditions.

The birds have started to come back, with the odd appearance from a young and adult great and blue tits.

All in all it’s been a strange spring and summer, with plenty of ups, but more downs. I’d be interested to know how other people have viewed wildlife in their gardens, but know a couple who have experienced similar to me.

The swallow family are now testing their wings as the youngsters gorge on the huge numbers of flying insects. I expect another brood from the new brood in the horse stable, particularly if the favourable weather conditions continue.

At the moment the evening air is filled with the beautiful songs of blackbirds, swallows and a lonesome chiffchaff, while tree and house sparrows chirp away with youngsters in the rose hedge before diving to feed at one of the seed feeders.

The potatoes and carrots are progressing well and I’m hopeful of a sweetcorn crop this year. The runner bean and tomato plants are showing signs of bearing fruit, but they seem to be slower than previous years.

My sunflowers are growing rapidly and I think a few will reach over 10ft, with potential for even higher if the weather warms up a little more.

My daughter loves the garden, well in particular watering the plants, and herself, with her pink elephant watering can. If that isn’t there she’ll try and lift my big green one, which if less than a quarter full she can do.

Now is the time to watch the insects make best use of the garden, before the birds return from moulting and once again bask in the bounty of food that the area provides, along with some handouts from me.