Pilewort or Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna)

Pilewort or Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna), flowering between January and April; these lovers of damp woodland pathways, stream banks and ditches, can be found in gardens, meadows and shady hedgerows, and even Narnia, yes, Narnia! โœจ

Ficaria verna growing on the bank of a field edge

An important nectar source for early emerging insects from hibernation, such as Queen Bumblebees ๐Ÿ

Lesser celandine were used to treat haemorrhoids, hence “Pilewort” and scurvy, due to being high in Vitamin C.

All in all, they are a pretty cool plant!

Thanks for reading! ๐Ÿ˜Š

Alder (Alnus glutinosa)

Dwelling in moist places; Alder grow near rivers, ponds, lakes and in wet, swampy woods, also known as Carrs.

Their flowers were used as green dye, to colour and camouflage the clothes of outlaws, like Robin Hood and to also colour the clothes of fairies ๐Ÿงš๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ

Flowering between February and April, Alder catkins provide an early source of nectar and pollen for Bees, and the seeds are eaten by Goldfinches, Siskins and Redpolls.

The pale wood turns a deep orange after being cut, giving the impression of bleeding. So, in the past, many people feared them and the Irish thought it was unlucky to pass one on a journey ๐Ÿ˜…

The roots have nitrogen-fixing nodules, conditioning the soil and improving soil fertility on former industrial wasteland and brownfield sites.

Alder leaf beetles (Agelastica alni) feed on the leaves of alder trees. They’ve become common in parts of England and Wales since 2004.

It was said that a few Alder leaves placed in the shoes before a long journey would cool the feet and prevent swelling ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ

Being a tough species of tree, their wood doesnโ€™t rot when waterlogged, instead it makes them harder and stronger. Plus, mature trees can reach a height of approximately 28 metres and live to around 60 years.

Thanks for reading โœŒ๐Ÿป

Day 30 – 30 Days Wild

There we have it, 30 Days Wild! Today is the last day of Random Acts of Wildness ๐Ÿฅณ So I am looking back over the past 29 days, and in this post I am sharing my highlights ๐Ÿ’š

My first drawing in 15 years!

Thanks for visiting! ๐Ÿค™๐Ÿป x

Day 15 – 30 Days Wild

Today I visited an Urban Organic Micro Farm, called Rea Spring Gardens – which is a short walk away. It is own and ran by a lovely, enthusiastic couple, Charlie and Ashley, who farm with wildlife and the environment in mind ๐ŸŒ

In the video below, you get to see what they grow and the animals they keep! ๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿปโ€๐ŸŒพ

Thanks for visiting ๐Ÿ’š

Day 13 – 30 Days Wild

I’m going to let the video (below) speak for itself ๐Ÿ™‚

Thanks for visiting! ๐Ÿ’š

Day 10 – 30 Days Wild

Most of the day was chilly & grey, but when there was a warm sunny spell, the Bees came out in force to feed on the Cranesbill Geraniums etc in the garden ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ’š ๐ŸŒธ

Thanks for visiting! ๐Ÿ™‚

Day 4 – 30 Days Wild

On Monday, whilst walking passed some Foxgloves with my Mom up the Waseley Hills Country Park, I remembered that we had some seeds at the back of one of the kitchen cupboards ๐Ÿ˜‰

Digitalis purpurea – Waseley Hills Country Park
Today that’s exactly what I did! ๐Ÿ’ฎ

Thanks for visiting ๐Ÿ™‚

BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2017

Last year I did separate videos of my interviews with the at gardening celebs / presenters and garden designers.

This year I thought it would be better to edit the interviews etc of the show, into one video and that’s exactly what I’ve done in the short video below:

You can see last years videos by clicking: here!

Thanks for visiting! ๐Ÿ™‚

Wildlife in May

A few years ago I made a series of short videos which were featured on the Reader’s Digest Magazine website, entitled Wildlife Monthly.  

Each month I produced 3 videos around a minute or more, detailing flora and fauna (mainly fauna) for you to look out for; be it in your garden, local park / reserve or further afield.

Below I have included the videos from my May edition(s).

2012

2011
(apologies for the dodgy voice-overs)

Thanks for visiting ๐Ÿ™‚

Video

Wind-back Wednesday, to June 2016

I think ‘Wind-back Wednesday’ should be more of a trend on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and of course, WordPress.ย  It’ll be for those that cannot wait until Thursday (for Throwback Thursday)ย  #WindbackWednesday orย  #WBWย  ๐Ÿ˜‰

Anyway…ย  I realised I hadn’t updated my blog in a while and I didn’t share my completed videos of my reporting at BBC Gardener’s World back in June, all of which I have included in this post.

Owen Morgan (Gold/ Best Show Garden) from The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and Adam Frost from BBC Gardener’s World:

My planting advice and Julie Haylock (Gold / Best Border Garden):

Bee Experience – Clive Joyce from British Bee Keeping Association (BBKA):ย 

My interview with Lucy Hall, Editor of BBC Gardener’s World Magazine:

Thanksย  ๐Ÿ™‚