A new find for me in the garden, a leopard slug just happened to be out in full view well into the morning. So I relocated it and got to appreciate its markings, looking like a fingerprint texture through the spots.
(c) K Wicks
Leopard Slug
Wildlife
Beautiful Birds
Some throwback pics of awesome birds.
(c) K Wicks
Beetles 2024
Been an interesting week for beetles, still lots of ladybirds but some others too.
(c) K Wicks
Bluetit 2024
We have bluetits again, caught this one rummaging, and might explain why some of the growing redcurrants looked missing a few! Well, them and the sparrows, quite busy so far this year for birds.
(c) K Wicks
World Bee Day 2024
It’s been exciting for weeks now, the garden has been busy. Here’s a selection since last world bee day, and previous years’ posts 🐝
And two bee related post of an awesome little Blue Mason bee and the Blue Mason bee rescue.
Blue Mason bee recue
Now I’ve seen one, I keep spotting them. Got to get a few proper close ups after rescuing one from a horrific fate. I happened to be watching the bee hotel with my camera, and this little guy was checking out the vacancies.
But, it just so happened the bottom left corner had been taken by a large spider I had already noticed and named ‘The Monster’. His web was on the front and side of the bee hotel, and just as I realised this wasn’t a good spot for web coverage, the little bee caught his wing in it!
In a flash the spider was out of the hole and making his way to the struggling bee. I swiped near the bee and the spider backed off, giving me a few more seconds to try and find something to rescue the bee with. A short bamboo pole was to hand, so that had to do.
It took a little while for the bee to recover, one leg had a sticky bit of web on it for a while, and one wing looked a bit busted up. I wondered whether I had doomed it to a slow and lingering death rather than a quick and horrific one. But I stayed with it, trying to help remove the web, giving it some flowers to help and see if it was enough. It was, and it flew away a short while after.
(c) MKW Publishing
Garden spiders
After downloading some of last years photos finally from my camera, amd this years so far, it seems there have been quite a few spiders. So I put them together to show how many different spiders you can get in a small garden.
(c) K Wicks
Lots of Ladybirds
Seems having an aphid infestation in the elderberry bush has its benefits, lots of ladybirds. As well as wasps, but they are keeping to themselves mostly.
(c) K Wicks
Bumble bee on geranium
This one dropped onto the ground and needed a bit of help, once put on the geranium was super lively again.
(c) K Wicks
Cabbage White Butterfly 2024
This friendly cabbage white stopped by, and after giving it a little stroke and it stayed, thought I would see if it wanted to crawl onto my hand. Feeling lucky after this and a bee doing it, hoping for a plentiful year for nature.
(c) K Wicks
MKW Publishing 