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[Elizabethrose]

Was it something horrible CLKD?

I saw two magpies attacking a parakeet today, holding it down on it's back by it's wings and pecking it, it was like something out of The Birds!!
I'm no lover of the pesky parakeets but I banged on the windows which made them release the thing.

[CLKD]

Oh that really is Nature in the Raw.

I found cow slips - the plant some of you denied is now having a 2nd flowering with 5 stems coming up 

[Elizabethrose]

Lots at Wisley this week, so pretty!

[CLKD]

 

[Elizabethrose]

I was there with a lovely friend who is a plant expert, it's wonderful walking around with someone who knows what they're looking at. I know shrubs but nought about anything else! They have some display greenhouses raised up high above the rockeries and waterfall. It has waist high display beds with pots sunken into it. The pots are refilled according to the season. They had the most stunning displays of utterly perfect specimens just at the right height to be enjoyed. Take your breathe away beauty when seen up close.

[CLKD]

Right - one to put on our list of places to go  .  Will we need to stay over  if so I need to look for a camp site.

[Elizabethrose]

Every single time you go, there is something different to see, different stages of development in the beds, the tree sections, the wild meadows. Both of us are members and there frequently, but we were both exclaiming at things. The specimen green houses I mentioned were the most stunning I've seen them.

They also have an ancient path lined with bonsai which was also breathtaking at this stage as some of the conifers had tiny pine cones and leaf and flower buds bursting through.

I wouldn't know when to advise you go CLKD but certainly avoid any school holidays or weekends.

[CLKD]

Now I'm un-certain about bonsai - clever it might be but cruel it certainly is 

[Elizabethrose]

It doesn't float my boat either CLKD, but these are something else!

[CLKD]

There's a camp site not far from Wisley  ......... the journey takes about 3 hours so it would be good to stay a few days 

[babyjane]

This morning we found 2 tablespoon size dollops of black frog spawn on our back grass.  It was very sticky but did not have the normal jelly that you see when the spawn is in water.  We have never had this happen before.  Our back grass is on the way to a natural pond at the bottom of our garden and we get lots of mating frogs but this has not happened before.

Was the frog taken short on the way to the pond and deposited some overflow as it would not be normal for her to lay eggs on the grass?

[Hurdity]

I don't know about frog spawn but there is some information here:
http://www.froglife.org/info-advice/frogs-and-toads-behaviour/

and a forum thread where it has been discussed here:
http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/united-kingdom/57233-frog-spawn.html

and includes the idea written by someone of frogs being "taken short" that you mention!

In other wildlife news - heard chiff-chaffs 3 days ago - they've arrived! . Also yesterday in the sunshine there were 8 goldfinches at and around the nyjer-feeder in back garden. Never seen so many!

Spring is definitely on the way.....

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

Yep Babyjane - if a female is jumped by a male it can trigger egg deposit anywhere 

[babyjane]

oo-er I think I would deposit something if I was jumped by a male!!! 

There were 2 joined together in the watering can this morning 

[Mandyw]

hi we live in the midlands off canncok chase and went last week to a bird ringing session, was very informative and had they caught 4 woodpeckers amongst other birds like blue tits ect in the net to ring them. a lovely morning, my husband got to hold a long tailed tit and let it go once it had been ringed.

mand