Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Garden Wildlife this morning
Wildlife seems to have enjoyed the lockdown and this year I seem to have more birds, bees and amphibians than I have for a while. I have a small pond that this year must have a dozen or so newts as well as a couple of frogs. I was out this morning and had just finished a phone call when I saw the newts so I thought I'd grab a short video. We see three or four in this short clip.
Later, sitting on the steps having my coffee, I saw what to me was an new spider in a zantedeschia bloom. I've since learned it was a flower crab spider. Here's what the wildlife trust site has to say about it:
Unlike many spiders, flower crab spiders don’t spin webs to trap insects. Instead they ambush their prey, often laying in wait on foliage for unsuspecting bees, moths and other insects that come to feed on flower.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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Lovely video Hugh. I like the look and sound of your pond! Is it in a container or in the ground? I’ve a very congested ‘pond’ in an old sink but I’m keen to rethink it this autumn.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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It’s in the ground, about 10 sq ft with a smaller one above it to circulate that water.
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...and I saw a couple of newts in the top pond today - less than 2 sq ft. I wonder if the main pond has reached peak newt population?!
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Permalink Reply by Chrisandsally on
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That's a lovely video Hugh and very timely, as we have just put in a pond and I am very keen to have newts! What is the flower we see?
thanks
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If you mean in the photo, it’s a zantedeschia or cala lily. If you mean the fallen blooms in the pond, they’re from a solanum that arches over the water.
I thought our newts had just turned up, but my other half thinks I got them from somewhere. Pending checking on the advisability of yanking newts out of their homes, I’ve already promised another neighbour some newts, otherwise I’d offer you some.
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Permalink Reply by Christine on
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I really enjoyed that video, the sound of water is also very soothing and the pic of the spider in the flower is also very interesting, great pic
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Thanks. I meant the flowers in the pond - i thought they were growing in the pond.
ref moving things between ponds it does look like it's discouraged due to diseases spreading but always tempting!
sally
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Permalink Reply by Martin (Woodside) on
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This Spring seems to have been ideal for our insects, I have noticed more bees than there have been. I have a small 'wild' area at the back of the garden. I'm also not clearing the weeds growing in the cracks at the front, bees love them, can't identify the flowers on the internet and my books are presently inaccessible. I've also put water out for the birds, as someone on here advised once.
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If you mean the blue flowers, they’re campanula. They grow like weeds but are also sold as garden plants by garden centres. Either way, like the ‘weed’, wild geranium Herb Robert, they’re worth leaving selectivity and can be easily reduced when they get carried away.
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Thanks Hugh.
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Permalink Reply by Dick Harris on
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Very fine report Hugh. I have resisted having a pond and have spotted only one newt in my garden this year - probably a visitor from my neighbour's pond. I do however have a respectable number of toads, no doubt nourished by the abundant slug population.
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