Cold November Gales

 The weather has changed to more traditional November weather with cold gale force winds and rain. So I am in dreaming and planning mode.I have about 60 Canelabra Primulas waiting to go in ,but I think they will do better getting TLC in the greenhouse waiting for the early spring.
My original plan was to just have native wild flower meadow plants in the meadow but it is made by me and not natural.(Natural would have been thistle docks and coarse long grass) .I am now thinking that maybe it is better to provide a lot of nectar rich flowers for the wildlife as well as the 130 plus wild flowers I have growing here.
The farmland all around is almost a dessert as far as wild flowers are concerned at any time of the year as it is all grazed  low by sheep.
I was reading that bats appreciate nectar rich flowers to feed the insects so they have something to eat when they awake periodically from their winter sleep. So I am now thinking that its better to include some none natives as well for the wildlife. This year we had both Long Eared Bats and Pipistrells  flying around.  The first time in 35 years for the long Eared bats so bat boxes on the disused chimney stack looks like a must for 2012

Mind November Weather

The continuing really mild weather is producing strange combinations within the meadow. While the birds are stuffing themselves on the huge quantity of large fat hips, the roses themselves are still flowering.

Rosa Rugosa  hips a birds November breakfast

Rosa Rugosa still producing flowers in November

We have had one or two mornings with a slight frost but nothing to do any damage.
the grass is still growing ,and required a further cut.
Saturday was spent trying to remove the rocks that the builder left behind after building the stone wall. these remaining ones must weigh between 3/4 hundred weight and over .I think they may just have to be rolled to the edge of the meadow to enable me to get the grass cutters into the bottom corner. 
I will then resow with annual and perennial flowers.  I still have plug plants to plant but I am unsure whether or not to plant some now or to leave them all under glass until the spring  I may leave the weather conditions decide.

Just so beautiful

 "Storpharia aeruginosa

 I know I have already posted this variety of fungi but these new photo's of  "Storpharia aeruginosa     are so pretty I just had to share  

 "Storpharia aeruginosa

Even More Fungi

Even more Fungi so far unidentified as soon as ISPOT identify them I will post 

Some More Fungi

Stropharia

A few more fungi  some identified some not but beautiful never the less .Identifications thanks to ISPOT
I must admit I am really amazed at the many different Fungi that have appeared this year  .It must be due to the diverse weather conditions of 2011.

Stropharia

Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda)

Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda)

 Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis)

Fungi I've not seen before

 Masses of different fungi have appeared in the meadow over the last few days .Ive not seen them before nor do I know the names of them. I will be putting them on ISPOT  to see if they can help .In the mean time I'm just enjoying them 

Preparing the meadow for winter

Today was a lovely warm sunny day  a good opportunity to get on with getting the meadow ready for the winter The last of the hay collected and stacked . 
When rotted down in the spring it will be used on the vegetable garden as a mulch.The grass had its final cut of the year and I sowed 3000 Yellow Rattle seeds .This has to be this seasons seed and needs the cold of the winter to break its dormancy.
I finally managed to locate the seed s on Ebay so I hope they are O.K.
I also planted 100 Anemone Blanda bulbs and 180 Fritillaria Meleagris
A small area that was full of Brambles has been treated with Round Up. This will be resown in the spring with Irish wild flowers seed collected this summer further increasing the bio diversity of the meadow.

Rain stopped play

Bad weather set in for almost 2 weeks .Half the hay still waiting to be picked up. When we haven't had rain we have had high winds ,Just hoping for better weather  later this week so we can get the job finished.

One woman went to mow , went to mow a meadow lal lal la !

Started with  the mowing of the meadow this afternoon .First I cut with the Alan Scythe This has a long bar about 3 feet long with blades like fingers that chop the dead flowers off close to the ground . Then I have I have to collect it all together with a pitch fork  and stack it into a hay stack. The remaining  stubble is then mowed with the mower at three different heights until it is short  but that isn't until every bit is picked up first

Both sides have had their first cut , collecting begins tomorrow. This is the only part of the meadow that is really hard work , but it only works out at two or three full days a year . The rest of the year is nice things like planning for new flowers, sowing seeds and planting bulbs  .The best bit is all the spring and summer day seeing what has come to fruition. 

Bats

We have had Pipistrellus flying around the house and meadow for many years but I have never seen a Long Eared Bat until last night. My daughter Diane and my 2 grand daughters saw them first as they were leaving to go home at dusk about 8pm.they kept flying in and out of a small hole in the out buildings in the rafters  I am in no doubt that they are here due to the moths that abound in the Wild Flower Meadow. It gave me a lovely warm glow ,yes I really am doing something for the wildlife. Sorry no picture to go with this they are just too fast.

Start of planning for 2012

Euonymus Spindle Tree

While on holiday last week in Ireland I collected quite a few wild flower seeds.I'm planning next year to have an Irish corner in the meadow. I was hoping to get some new seasons Yellow Rattle seed to help control the grasses ,but the supplier let me down for some reason, So I will now have to find a local source of fresh seed .

Guelder Rose Viburnum opulus

Collecting and sorting seeds

It is now time to start preparing the meadow for next year. the dead flowers have to be cut down completely and the hay stacked for composting , any bare patches resown with more interesting flowers. Here my ten year old grand daughter is separating the seeds from the dried flowers we collected a few weeks ago. She is so keen and wants to know what they all are and how are we going to sow them.
I have already planted out new plug plants that I had raised in the green house .My bulb order of Fritillary meleagris the snakes head Fritillary arrived last week .These will want planting as soon as possible . they will be planted in one of the island beds in the middle of the meadow . 

Anglesey Wild Flower Meadow: Bird Feast

Anglesey Wild Flower Meadow: Bird Feast: Elderberry (Sambucus)
The bees have done an amazing job this summer there is an abundance of berries in the hedges surrounding the mea...

Bird Feast

Elderberry (Sambucus)

The bees have done an amazing job this summer there is an abundance of berries in the hedges surrounding the meadow. Down the right hand side I planted about 150 Rosa Rugosa five years ago. these are now about 3and a half feet and absolutely laden with very large shiny rose hips . On the other side of the meadow  there are Hawthorn , Elderberry  and Sloe.  Planted within in the Meadow its self are crab apples and Rowen these are all just for the birds. For me there are Apples, Plums , Greengage and Quince.also within the wild hedge there are loads of Blackberries which will ripen later. Its lovely to see how it all fits together the flowers providing nectar for the insects and in return they pollinate the flowers for seed and the trees for fruit which in turn benefit the birds. The amount of Finches that are eating the flower seed is really surprising I have seen  Green Finches that I have not seen in my garden for at least five years Gold Finches and Chaffinches . Something is already feasting on the Rose Hips but have not see what that is as yet.

Rowen or Mountain Ash (Sorbus)

Crab Apple ( Malus)

Rosa Rugosa

 Hawthorn Tree (Crataegus Monogyna)

Sloe or Blackthorn (Prunus Spinosa)

I recently purchased this reference book . Although I have at least 10 wild flower books this one has got to be my favourite. It has helped  make identifying the wild flowers in the meadow that are new to me really easy. Previously I hadn't been that accurate in my observations and the three varieties of Willowherb below I thought that they were all the same , but since having this new book I now realise  they are all different 

Broard-leaved Willowherb Epi
lobium montanum

Chickweed Willowherb Epilobium alsinifolium

Marsh Willowherb Epilobium palustre