sussex-nature-lover

[sussex-nature-lover]

Monday 15 April 2024

Bluebells - a Comparison

Last Friday we went down to our local bluebell woods. There can't be any sight in nature much more uplifting than immersing yourself in an ancient British woodland at this time of year

Depending on the weather we need another week to ten days to see these gorgeous native flowers at their peak

Native English Bluebell in a patch of sunlight

Unfortunately, a hot topic over the years, much like the red versus the grey squirrel, is the 'invasion' of Spanish Bluebells as seen below.

It can be hard to tell the difference, but you often see the Spanish ones in white, pinky-lilac and pale blue, although some are a similar dark blue to the English ones

White Spanish Bluebells below

Spanish/English and Spanish/English with added Bee - spot the differences

Gardeners' World has a thorough explanation of the differences to look for

What’s the difference between Spanish and English bluebells?

The native English bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) is famous for carpeting woodlands with millions of sweetly scented, violet-blue flowers in early spring. It grows in ancient woodlands and hedge banks, and the UK has around half of the world's population. The flowers are a valuable food source for bees, butterflies and other insects.

English bluebell flowers are mostly a deep violet-blue, and occasionally white. In shape the blooms are tubular, curling back at the mouth, and are borne on just one side of an arching stem up to 30cm high. Green, strap-shaped leaves are a maximum of 1.5cm wide.

Spanish bluebell flowers are unscented, much larger and more open than English bluebells, borne on every side around an upright flower stem up to 45cm high. Wide, strap-shaped green leaves are up to 3cm wide.

Spanish bluebells cross-breed with English bluebells. The resulting hybrids are the most commonly grown bluebells in British gardens. They look similar to our native bluebell but have straight stems, rather than arched stems. Also their petals are lighter in colour (sometimes pink) and their leaves are thicker. The hybrids are fertile and are therefore able to reproduce themselves, and can also make further hybrids with English bluebells.

The Wildlife Trust also has this

Also known as common bluebells, English bluebells, British bluebells, wood bells, fairy flowers, and wild hyacinth, are early flowering plants that naturally occur in the UK. Here are some key differences to help you distinguish between native and Spanish bluebells:

Leaves:

Native bluebells: Narrow leaves, approximately 1-1.5 cm wide

Spanish bluebells: Broader leaves, about 3 cm wide

Flower Colour and Shape:

Native bluebells: Deep violet-blue tubular-bell flowers with tips that curl back

Spanish bluebells: Pale blue (often white or pink) conical-bell flowers with spreading and open tips

Stem Orientation:

Native bluebells: Flowers on one side of the stem, with distinctly drooping stems

Spanish bluebells: Flowers all around the stem, with upright stems

Scent:

Native bluebells: Emit a sweet scent

Spanish bluebells: Have no scent

Pollen Colour:

Native bluebells: Cream-colored pollen inside

Spanish bluebells: Blue- or pale green-coloured pollen inside

Remember that native bluebells are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. The Spanish bluebell, introduced by Victorians as a garden plant, can now be found alongside our native bluebell. However, the Spanish bluebell is more vigorous and can outcompete the native variety, potentially altering its genetic makeup over time. Be cautious when planting non-native varieties, as they can easily escape and hybridize with native bluebells

Fortunately the ancient woodland seems age from invaders, but we happen to have both types in our own garden. We planted a patch of English Bluebells down in the wilder part of the lawn. The Spanish ones just appeared in a bed at the top and I have no idea how or why!

Wild white English bluebells are incredibly rare. They occur when the flower’s blue pigment is missing, making them ‘albino’ bluebells. It is believed a native white bluebell occurs only once in every 10,000 flowers.

I spotted my very first white English Bluebell on last week's walk. One in ten thousand, imagine. As much as I absolutely adore BLUEbells, this felt incredibly special.

#nature #nature photography #flowers nature spring #bluebells

[sussex-nature-lover]

Sunday 14 April 2024

Local Garden

Here are some photos of a pretty garden down the lane, which I always stop to admire and enjoy

And the outlook from the other side

She also keeps a wood pile for nature so the insects have somewhere to live and has prettied it up with some planting

Aubrieta, also known as Purple Rock Cress

Make the most of the tulips before they're over

#gardens nature photography spring flowers

[sussex-nature-lover]

Friday 12 April 2024

For a Friend

Sometimes life throws such a curved ball that it's hard to know if it's real life, or if the world has turned inside out and upside down

Pasque Flower

From bloody Roman battlefields to gorgeous meadows blooming with its lavender bell-shaped sepals, the Pasque flower has a storied history among the countries of Europe and North America. Belonging to the buttercup family, it is one of nature’s most easily distinguishable flowers. It can be found blooming for only two weeks during the spring season, so having the chance to see it blossom is a gift indeed

My Pasque flower bloomed this year after seeing nothing last year. It really is a special plant managing to come into flower over Easter for us, as per its legend

In Greek mythology, it is said that the flower came into being after Aphrodite, goddess of love, learnt of her partner's death, and her tears became the Pasque

When you walk through a storm Hold your head up high And don't be afraid of the dark At the end of a storm There's a golden sky And a sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind Walk on through the rain Or your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on. Walk on. With hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone You'll never walk alone

Walk on. Walk on. With hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone You'll never walk alone

The words from Carousel, the anthem of my football team and a sentiment that I always keep in my mind, especially when times are tough ❤️💕❤️

#friendship bereavement nature flowers sky

[sussex-nature-lover]

Sunday 31 March 2024

Some Easter decorations because the little ones were visiting yesterday.

Spring flowers from the garden and a souffléd brioche bread and butter pudding ready for the oven, it was made with lemon curd and zest and blueberries as a good contrast to the sweet bread.

Finally, my lovely Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris - a member of the Buttercup family) has flowered in a very timely manner seeing as it's strongly associated with Good Friday and the whole Easter period.

The striking purple Pasqueflower is now a very rare plant in the UK, restricted to just a few chalk and limestone grasslands and found on only a handful of nature reserves. It flowers in the spring, usually around April, its petals sitting cushioned on feathery leaves. Legend has it that Pasqueflowers sprang up in places that had been soaked by the blood of Romans or Danes because they often appeared on old barrows and boundary banks. However, it's more likely that these sites are favoured because they tend to be undisturbed chalk grassland.

#Easter lunch #rare flowers

[sussex-nature-lover]

Sunday 24 March 2024

From Round and About

I've been looking for the signs of Spring both in our own garden and on a walk down the lane

Daffodils always make my heart sing, particularly unexpected clumps on the verges, or in our own woods and garden. The squirrels have form for stealing bulbs and burying them in the most unexpected places

I do get a bit cross with them, but try to mostly chuckle

The pink of the early Magnolia against a blue sky is very welcome and the signs that our mini cherry tree is coming back to life again

Even in the scrubby verges there are little pockets of prettiness

Even more than daffodils, my Spring favourite is the wild primrose and all the clumps that naturalise. We've got quite a lot now in a patch of front garden lawn

This isn't our Camelia, but we have one the same. Last year I moved it and it seems to be doing much better where I've put it now. I've bought another one to go in the bed, just got to decide where

Lesser Celandine

Cuckoo Flower, also known as Ladies Smock

Forget-Me-Not

The more you look on a five minute walk, the more you see, from the bold and bright of the Celandine to the delicate Cuckoo and Forget-Me-Not flowers

#spring woodland flowers nature

[sussex-nature-lover]

Friday 22 March 2024

This Little Poppet turned TWO

Happy second birthday to our favourite granddaughter 😉

A visit to the aquarium with mummy, daddy and little bro' to find 'Nemo' Spoiler...success

Followed by a lovely lunch afterwards by the seaside.

#birthday

[sussex-nature-lover]

Sunday 17 March 2024

Last Mother’s Day

It was Mother’s Day last Sunday. I felt very spoiled with lovely cards and gifts from our two girls

A vibrant bouquet of flowers which also included a pack of Sunflower seeds to plant. And a gorgeous enamel Robin brooch, plus a springtime bouquet. I thought it was unusual that the bulbs had been left on the tulips. You cut off the flower stems for the vase and dry the bulbs for planting outside for next season

Great instructions come with the flowers so that you can give them optimum care and they're still looking lovely

#mothersday gifts #flowers

[sussex-nature-lover]

Some signs of Spring I think.

Mini plum tomatoes on sourdough seeded toast for a mid morning brunch

A few miniature narcissus in my favourite planter. They can go outdoors once they finish flowering

Next door's Willow tree coming back to life

Thursday 14 March 2024

#nature #spring

[sussex-nature-lover]

Sunday 11 February 2024

Sunrise. Sunset

A couple of weeks back it was apparently dust from the Sahara that gave rise to some stunning colours in the sky at night. There was a lot of lilac and purple, which I don't think I've seen in England before.

I bought a new lap top and failed to notice the lack of a memory card slot, very inconvenient as I'm mislaid the cable that could connect my camera to the lap top to download pics. While I keep searching, here are some from friends and social media I follow instead.

Driving home from my friend T

This is Sissinghurst Castle Gardens taken by the pond at the front entrance to the gardens proper.

Photo Credit to 'The Sissinghurst Gardener'

Amazing skies over The Weald including a couple I found from my own bedroom window.

Sunrising and setting and snow are two scenes that are always beautiful to look at.

#nature #nature photography #sunrise #sunset

[sussex-nature-lover]

Sunday 31 December 2023

December Photos

I saved these local photos from our village website last year. So far no snow this year, so these views are lovely to post now.

We had some glorious skies

And with that I’ll close the year wishing everyone who sees this

#winter skies happy new year

[sussex-nature-lover]

Friday 29 December 2023

Reflections

In past years we've had a large Christmas tree in our hallway and a small one in the drawing room. During the pandemic times we slipped out of that habit as just for the two of us it seemed excessive and so little 'Doug' came into play.

Here was Doug on his first outing. I think I paid £25 for him from Waitrose, but I had about £20 worth of vouchers, so he wasn't a big investment. Since then he lives out in the garden, hosting birds and bugs and come the festive season, inevitably bringing in a selection of the latter and various bits of cobweb and dead leaves.

Now here is Doug this Christmas

He's got to be repotted when we take him down. He'd have grown even more I think if I'd done that back in January.

We had all our family here for Christmas lunch and the younger Ms Nature contributed her Christmas chocolate yule Log which I trimmed up with chocolate covered coco beans, edible gold leaf and some dark chocolate covered bitter cherries on the side. Chocolate quota for 2023 was definitely completed.

The day after Boxing Day we took Ms NW the elder with her crutches and the little dog, back home to London and we managed to get best part of the way home before the weather set in. Here's our local village with its pretty lights and tree in the rain.

So here we are, just us two again, with all the decorations still twinkling and a nice cosy fire. The candles, the fire and the battery lights are a massive boon when the power suddenly goes off and the view above turns to the view below.

Both photos taken with the same phone, no filter and within about five minutes of each other! Luckily the power wasn't off for hours. so we were cosy enough and long may that last.

#winter log fire Christmas decorations

[sussex-nature-lover]

Wednesday 29 November 2023

Busy Autumn Days

I thought I'd better do another entry before the month ends. It's been a very busy and eventful month as not only do the three men in our small family all have their birthdays this month, but a new baby arrived to join them and guess what...another boy. So now the next generation is a little girl and a little boy for a younger brother. Happy Days.

We haven't been out walking as my beloved hasn't been too well, so here are just a few tree photos from the garden.

Our granddaughter's tree, if you can identify it, you'll know why

The big Oak at the end of the garden put on a dazzling display of colour this year

Down in the far corner it could be dull with conifers and the giant cedar, but the beech, silver birch and maple add some bright spots

Inspector Pritchard is more noticeable as the trees lose their leaves and his hidey hole's exposed

Next door's willow tree still has a cloak, nowhere near as luxuriant as it was in summer though and not to last for much longer

and here he was leaving hospital for home. He's wrapped up against the cold and carrying on the family's love for nature, bless him. I can't wait to share with him and his sister as they grow up.

#autumn #birds nature #nature photography

[sussex-nature-lover]

Sunday 6 November 2023

Bonfire Night!

We seem to have survived Storm Ciarán pretty much intact, although it's been incredibly wet, wild and woolly. These photos were taken in our lane on Thursday, when we ventured out to the shops to get in enough supplies to stay home and batten down the hatches as they say. You wouldn't have thought what was to come

Taken from the car

Since the clocks changed last week it's getting dark at 4pm and so it's that time of the year to draw the curtains early, drop the blinds and light a fire

Scenes from our house and Ms Nature Watch the Elder's

and Ms Naturewatch the Younger, whose due date is today! Watch this space...

Finally remember it's not only domestic pets who get affected by the sudden bangs and flashes of fireworks

Whatever you can do to bear the comfort and safety of animals and birds in mind, please be responsible and do it, it must be terrifying for them.

#Autumn #baby #fireworks #Fall #countrylanes #cosyevenings

[sussex-nature-lover]

Sunday 29 October 2023

Longer Evenings Ahead

It was the end of British Summer Time last night, not that we benefitted from an extra hour's sleep. As usual insomnia struck around 2am and that was it for about 90 minutes *sigh*

We've got very severe weather warnings for the week ahead. It's been dark and raining and raining and it seems like there's just more of that to come with storms on top. As I write now we have heavy rain and hail. Batten down the hatches

I documented the lovely maple tree at the end of the garden. It has a twin, planted at the same time that's only grown to about a quarter of the size and which hasn't had the colour at all. Strange. This one's the tree that has the back portion missing - doesn't seem to have done it too much harm

Here's it gone through the week

The garden is still primarily green with some highlights of Autumn colours - it remains to be seen if there are any leaves left at the end of the next weather onslaught

Autumn photo courtesy of Ms Nature Watch the Elder

#Autumn #Fall #nature #garden

[sussex-nature-lover]

Sunday 22 October 2023

Autumn in the Garden

We haven't been too far afield this week apart from down towards the south coast to visit our dental surgery. Storm Babet was closing in rapidly and we were glad to get home where the weather was quite a bit better despite being extremely wet and blustery at times. The nearest village to where we live suffered power cuts, but until last night we were fine and even when the power went off in the middle of the evening, it wasn't for more than half an hour.

The link above is to a BBC storm-nature story and here's another one I spotted

Link to a storm hero(ine)

We have had some sunny days, so I grabbed the camera

It's amazing how many leaves are covering the lawns and yet the trees are still very green

The maple is ablaze of reds, gold and orange though - this snap doesn't do it anywhere near enough justice. When the sun's on it, it really is brilliant

The pond is quite full after being down to a mere puddle during the summer. I think pond dipping with the net for leaves and sludge is going to be high on the agenda

We're enjoying the blue skies as a change to the steely grey days

There is still some varied colour around. I wondered what this was growing underneath the hanging bird feeder. I looked it up and it turns out to be Niger flowers from the seeds that the goldfinch love so much

Some of my climbing white roses are still going and this single pink bloom. It was tempting to cut it for a vase in the house, but seeing as it's right opposite where I sit at the kitchen table, it was better left to live longer

And finally, he's still hanging around in all weathers even though he has a local greenhouse where he sleeps. Look how he's grown over the past two years. All the long tail feathers are gone for winter, but I don't recall him moulting his crown feathers from his head this year. Whatever feathers he has, he's such a handsome fellow and a real bright spot in the garden at every time of year

Inspector Pritchard the semi resident peacock

#autumn fall peacock garden colour leaves flowers

[sussex-nature-lover]

Saturday 14 October 2023

Green Woodpecker in the Garden

The Great Spotted Woodpeckers have been missing from our garden for a good couple of weeks or more, but, the Green Woodpeckers have returned.

This is one of the year's juvenile birds

Although the juveniles aren't as colourful as their parents, I think you can tell this one's a young female because there's no sign of any red colouring on its 'moustache' area

You can see the red on an adult male above

#birds nature #garden birds #nature photography #birdlovers #birdphotography

[sussex-nature-lover]

Friday 6 October 2023

Blooming in our Garden This Week

I can hardly believe we still have this colour early in October

Some of Summer's pelargoniums putting on a late show

Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) which usually bloom in Spring

As previously posted, lovely Susie climbing rose with so many flower heads

and finally a new clematis that I planted early Spring and this is its first flower

#gardening flowers