Bees 'n Beans is go

We have beans. So begins our @LJBees Bees 'n Beans citizen science project.

♥ Tadpoles ♥

Gentrified Squirrels

Sign of the times, one of the new neighbours must be feeding the squirrels almonds. Forgetfulness, surfeit or happenchance: this curious little seedling has been potted on to see if it thrives.

♥ Pear Blossom ♥

Collared dove Streptopelia decaocto posturing in the pear tree. Nesting materials are being collected.

Plot57b Pollinators

Beefly Bombylius major first spotted on 01/04

Hoverfly ♀Myathropa florea thnak you to @HoverflyLagoons for confirmation of ID.

A poor pic, but posted here for the record: hoverfly Helophilus sp. possibly pendulus

We used the exceptional photographs by Chris Webster on his site British Hoverflies to ID our beauties.

Wasp possibly Dolichovespula media

Hairy-footed flower bee ♀ Anthophora plumipes

Time of the Toad

The first and only clump of frogspawn appeared in the pond on the 29th of March, a single toad spawned on the 3rd of this month. Yesterday was a good day for it and the toads started calling. Their chorus continued until evening as they laced cat's cradles through the pond weed.

We counted six pairs in one count with a further 5 lone males jostling for position. We recorded the final tally with the Fresh Water Habitats Trust's Big Spawn Count.

Let there be tadpoles!

Bees 'n Beans

Potting up broad beans for @LJBees Bees 'n Beans citizen science project today. We're going to put the plot57b pollinators through their paces.

#nhmwildlifegarden Spring Wildlife Event

We went to the NHM to attend the Natural History Museum Garden's informative 'Gardening for Butterflies' talk. We came away with a plan to improve Plot57b habitat for butterflies by planting more larval food plants.

We have Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus butterflies as we grow its larval food plants: holly and ivy. The nettle patch we've had established for a number of years in the disused garden incinerator goes some way to attracting Comma Polygonia c-album and Red Admirals Vanessa atalanta. We plan to plant Buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica for Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni and Lady's smock Cardamine pratensis for Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines butterflies.

Caddisfly larvae Trichoptera Sp.

WE also made the most of the Spring Wildlife Event pond dipping activity. As you would expect from the nation's wildlife museum, the garden's pond is teeming with wildlife.

Our list tallied:
• 3 Caddisfly larvae Trichoptera
• 1 Lesser Water boatman Corixidae Sp.
• 1 Greater Water boatman Notonecta Sp.
• 5+ mayfly larvae Ephemeroptera
• 1 damselfly larvae Odonata
• 1 Water hog-louse Asellus aquaticus
• 2 Leech possibly Erpobdella Sp.
• 10+ flatworm Dugesia Sp.
• countless phantom midge larvae Charborus sp.
• countless daphnia Cladocera

Leech possibly Erpobdella Sp.

Mayfly larvae Ephemeroptera

Katie Blows

Hoverfly, Epistrophe eligans(?)

Hoverfly Lagoon

Looking up more information on the Bees 'n Beans citizen science project we'd signed up for via Twitter, we read about the University of Sussex Buzz Club and their hoverfly lagoon project to provide suitable habitat for hoverfly species that have an aquatic larval stage. A perfect way to learn more about these critters and perhaps contribute to the wider study of the state of the nation's pollinators.

There was just enough time between breaks in storm Katie's last throes to assemble the lagoon from an upcycled 5l water bottle (previously used as a cloche), a cracked 7l terracotta pot, nettle, dried leaves and a handful of sticks.

Ta da! We stationed the lagoon next to the nettle patch (growing in the long-time decommissioned garden incinerator) and compost bin at the bottom of the garden.

This ground bug Rhyparochromus vulgaris(?) was out and about.

Peas Please

We are trying out these T&M, Kew Garden Collection seeds as the varieties have been selected for their performance in container gardens. We are limited to our three 1.8m x 0.9m raised beds and are keen to harvest the maximum number of beans and peas we possibly can.

While we didn't get to plant out our potatoes this Easter weekend we braved the gales to plant two rows of peas: Bingo and Avola, let's hope they are good eating. We sowed courgettes indoors.

Garlic

It's that time of year again when there's not a loveliness of ladybirds in sight and even a howling storm like Katie can't huff and puff and blow away the hordes of aphid sapping the vitality of the rose shoots in the garden.

Being forced indoors by the weather, some of the Easter weekend was whiled away prepping garlic infused water to spray the critters. Four bulbs cut up into 2.5l of water and steeped for a couple of days. This 'tea' can be strained off and diluted with a further 2,5l of water for spraying. The chopped garlic can be steeped again and again until you notice the 'tea' is a lot less pungent. We use a high pressure pump spray to knock the critters to the ground. Spray every couple of days until the aphid population is much reduced and then every now and again until soft plant shoots mature.

Volunteer plants

A joy of gardening is passing on plants. Plants for free are the best plants of all: self-seeded plantlings potted up to start a new wild-life friendly garden elsewhere.

Garden Safari

Squash bug - Dock Bug, Coreus marginatus. Thankyou to @NHM_ID Team for confirming the ID.

The sun brought the creepy crawlies out, it's good to see them start showing themselves.

Esperia sulphurella. This was spotted on the logpile insect hotel built in May 2014, the larvae of the moth feed on dead wood, result! Thankyou to @NHM_ID Team for confirming the ID.

Early mining bee (?), Andrena haemorrhoa

Nursery web spider (?), Pisaura mirabilis

Nitrogen-loving Cushion Xanthoria (?) lichen on a fallen twig from the pear tree (the magpies have been harvesting nesting material). This OPAL Lichen Identification Guide was useful to help hazard a guess.

7 Spot ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata. We are recording all our ladybird sightings for the UK Ladybird Survey.

Spring Stirrings

Wild primrose, Primula vulgaris

A somnolent bufo bufo, a dream-state Beelzebufo not yet stirred by the beating of membranous wings.

The Tulip Turkestanica are proving popular with the early invertebrates, our efforts to provide all-season forage have had immediate effect. We love their sun spot petals, the more so when they flare in the water-sphere lenses of rain droplets.

♂ Hairy-footed Flower Bee, Anthophora plumipes

Common Green Shieldbug, Palomena prasina (winter colour). Thankyou to @NHM_ID Team for confirming the ID.

Lungwort, Pulmonaria officinalis

Herb-robert, Geranium robertianum

Kalamansi update

Success (so far), the seeds have sprouted with surprisingly little mould present. Where the roots had become attached to the paper towel, the little patch was snipped around and planted with the seed. They've been potted up and popped back in the propagator.

♥ Tomatoes ♥

Sadly the Green Zebra were a no-show, still there be good times ahead...

Oh and the yacon awakens...eek!