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11/01/2009


my photos

DEAD WOOD

Wood piles around the garden are a perfect home for hibernating frogs, toads and newts, as well as insects like woodlice. I do wonder which insect may take up residence in the hollow stems of grass.



Areas of the garden are given up to ivy! Our garden is like a bowl, with banking all around. Although it could be said the ivy has somewhat taken over in parts, it does hold the bank together, and it encourages lots of wildlife too.



I leave an old branch or two amidst the foliage, they make a really good perch for robins, wrens and blackbirds.



This is a tree stump, and where it is slowly rotting down, great crevices have appeared, a perfect place for the stag beetle to lay its eggs, and where their larvae will spend up to seven years inside. Adult stag beetles are short-lived and more often die after mating.

The stag beetle is Britain's largest native ground-dwelling beetle and generally seen in Southern England. I have been lucky enough to spot them in my garden, and last year I saw a large one in flight.

These insects are in decline, click here to see how you can encourage them into your garden.


28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Terrific wintry photos!
I look at my log pile and wonder what's hiding in it! xx

Ms Dragonfly said...

such beautiful photos!! i want to take them in and make them apart of myself!

life in red shoes said...

Oh my Louise, I thought that perhaps YOU had gone into hibernation! It's nice to have you back, is all well?

Sal said...

The beauty of nature never ceases to amaze..lovely photos Louise ;-)

Crafty Green Poet said...

beautiful photos and great information about wood habitats

VP said...

Hi Louise - lovely to see you back here and with a terrific bunch of photos :)

We also have loads of ivy in my garden and whilst it's great for wildlife, I think I'm going to have to cut a load of it back as it's slowly sufficating everything else.

It's just a matter of regaining the balance
xx

Simone said...

It is amazing to think that the decaying wood is home to many types of creatures, and a reminder that we shouldn't tidy our gardens up too much if we want to encourage nature.

Anonymous said...

I love the look of that frosted ivy. And the perspective of dead/dying bits of the garden as home to wildlife is very cool indeed.

Suburbia said...

Lovely to see you again. Beautiful photos as always :)

Happy New Year to you.

Glo said...

Happy New Year, Louise :) I love the look of ivy etched with the frost as well. I have some in my front window box, and noticed how pretty it looked with its winter coat. I was amazed to see some little flying insect with so much snow around. It looked out of place with it's surroundings! I guess other creatures have found their niche during this cold weather, in crevices and nooks that you have described.

Selfsewn said...

Hello lovely photos.
I've started a garden blog if you are interested?
Glad to see you are back!
Clare

Lynn said...

Wow! Very informative and interesting post. Providing suitable habitat is health to the garden and sometimes entertaining to the gardener. I see dragonflies, hummingbirds, toads, frogs, chipmunks and butterflies in my garden on a regular basis and love to sit and watch it all!

The Bunny Maker said...

hello! what a pretty blog! I live in West sussex too - where abouts are you? I am in Ifold.

Suzanne said...

Great photos and good to see you posting again.
Have a good weekend.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Hi! You were my first commenter on my GBBD post, and you don't have a GBBD post yourself. I can't remember if you usually do. This is an awesome post, though! You showed the beauty in a rotting stump.

Thanks for the reminder about leaving things around. I am trying to make our yard a better place for the birds, butterflies, and other critters.

Wienermädel + Co said...

Thanks for your wishes! Our best wishes for am happy, healthy new year for you and your family too.

Matron said...

I have made a log pile in the corner of my allotment for a couple of years now. I have also tried to introduce mushroom spawn onto that pile so I might get mushrooms from it too!

The Bunny Maker said...

hello again!
I was wondering if you would consider writing a piece for our magazine
http://www.ukhandmade.co.uk - we are an website and downloadable quarterly magazine featuring and promoting british handmade arts and crafts. We also run features on cooking, gardening and other homegrown matters. We are looking for some pieces about spring in the garden perhaps tied in with the decline in insects and bird life in british gardens and how we might help. Would you consider writing something for consideration? Your photographs are gorgeous and it is just as important for us to have fabulous, high quality pictures as it is to have interesting content.
You can download our winter issue from the website to have a look and see if it would be something you might like to do.
Do let me know!

Anna
xx

Anonymous said...

I like how thoughtful you are Louise, even to care for a beetle. xox

HAWTHORN HALL said...

Your photographs are so wonderful. It is amazing how much beauty lies around us in nature just waiting to be noticed. I do envy your ability to take such clear, crisp close-ups...the frost is quite beautiful.

Gillian

Gina said...

Love your frosty pics..esp the ivy leaves. Hope you are keeping warm :D Gx

Tim Atkinson said...

Amazing photos, and fascinating facts. I'm going to get Sally to read this - she's a Bill Oddie groupie, and into natural history in a massive way. She'll love it!

The Bunny Maker said...

hello! thrilled you would like to write for us!
deadline for spring issue is 18th feb - articles to be aprox 210 words.
if you have any of your fabulous pictures too .... that would be brilliant.
my email is anna@halfanacre.co.uk
or anna@ukhandmade.co.uk
The article can be a Word document with the pics sent as jpegs.
any more info needed just email me!

Anonymous said...

Such lovely photos and informative commentary. I love foliage next to ice and snow ...

Anonymous said...

Just called in to say hi! Hope you are both well. xx

sheila said...

Where the heck are you, Louise? I miss seeing your garden pictures. Hope you are okay.

HappyMouffetard said...

How wonderful to have stag beetles in your garden!
Lovely wintry photos.

TN Garden Center said...

Wow! Winter is always a great time for photographing. Anything with frost or snow can make an amazing picture. Thanks for sharing.