wildlife

[Peter Maguire]

The garden's been a little neglected of late and I've had some dirty pots sitting in a tub of water for some weeks to make the cleaning easier. When I went to clean them today, I found that this chap had taken up residence. The pot scrubbing has been postponed.....

Common Frog (Rana temporararia)

[Roma]

Butterflies have been a bit scarce this season and have not been hanging around the garden much.  I did see 3 Small Tortoiseshells at one time a couple of weeks ago on Origanum.  It has gone past now and the sedums are just starting.  I am seeing the odd Small tortoiseshell now and again but not every day.   
I rescued a Speckled Wood from a spider's web about two weeks ago.
Today was more exciting - one Small Tortoiseshell, one Peacock which did not hang about and 3 or possibly 4 Painted Ladies.  There were 3 on this sedum but I only seem to have 2 in the picture.  They kept closing their wings making them difficult to see. 

[ArnoldT]

Here's a yellow jacket feasting on some Eucomis autumnalis pollen.

Must be like eating caviar for the first time.

[Tristan_He]

Here's a yellow jacket feasting on some Eucomis autumnalis pollen.

Must be like eating caviar for the first time.

Arnold yellow jackets are wasps aren't they? Just checking because that is a hoverfly - much less problematic around the jam sandwiches 

[Gabriela]

You're right Tristan, that's 'someone' pretending to be a yellow jacket.

But such a great picture and I like the metaphor

[ArnoldT]

Thanks, doesn't have the nasty looking stinger that yellow jackets have.

[johnw]

Lurker-friend Donna passes along this encouraging article on elephant damage to gardens.  FB so all may not be able to access it.


http://www.littlethings.com/bees-and-elephants-vcom/?utm_medium=Facebook


johnw

[Tristan_He]

Genius John! 

[johnw]

How Bees, Elephants and Farmers Are Keeping Each
Other Safe In A Genius Way
By Laura Caseley
Being a farmer is hard work - but being a farmer in places like
Kenya, Botswana, and Sri Lanka has a unique challenge that
other areas of the world don't: elephants!
Wild elephants, whose natural behavior is to roam, have been
known to march right through fields, damaging and destroying crops.
When the human farmers try to intervene, things can turn ugly,
and both human and elephant injuries and even deaths can occur.
Sadly, like too many animals, elephants face many dangers at
the hands of humans. It's a shame, because these creatures are
intelligent, sensitive, and have complex emotional and social
connections, forming strong bonds with one another,
and with different animals, too.
So a solution was needed that would both keep the farmers' fields
safe, but make sure the elephants were in no way harmed.
This solution was not only brilliantly simple, but also had the added
bonus of helping out another species in crisis: bees.
Read on to see how they did it!

Elephants usually raid fields at night, and to ward them off, people h
have fired guns, thrown rocks, and launched firecrackers to scare them off.
Just like with humans, an injury or death in an elephant's family unit
puts major emotional stress on the herd.
The devastation to fields is no small issue, either.
These small farmers rely on their crops to survive, and a damaged
field can mean a serious loss of income and food.

There seemed to be no simple solution, until zoologist Dr. Lucy King
noticed something: Elephants really don't like bees, and will avoid
them at all costs.
If they hear buzzing, they'll leave an area immediately, signaling to
others that bees are about.
This is because the bees' stings are especially painful to the elephants'
trunks, and to avoid this pain, the elephants prefer to just stay away.
And thus, bee fences were born!

"Beefencing," as it's known, is the use of hanging rows of beehives,
each connected by a length of wire.
When a nosy elephant approaches, it will knock into the wire, setting the
hives swinging and disturbing the bees.
And when the elephants hear that buzzing, they'll turn around and leave.
The crops are safe, the humans are safe, and the elephants are safe.
The bees are safe, too.

Dr. King has been working with various conservation organizations and communities
in Africa and Sri Lanka, building these beefences around local farms.
She hopes that this will be the first of many steps to create sustainable solutions where humans
and animals can coexist peacefully.

The project has also attracted the attention of some big names, who are
chipping in to create more beefences.

The bees also help pollinate fields and maintain the biodiversity needed to
support an ecosystem, so the farmers get a helping hand, too
And as an added bonus, the farmers get to keep the honey and beeswax
produced by their hives, which they can use or sell.


This "elephant-friendly honey" is available in local shops near the areas
where the farmers live and work.
So unless you're planning a visit to Nairobi, you won't be able to get any.
But it's quite popular where it's sold!

[annew]

Brilliant idea!

[Roma]

Four butterflies today, all different species
The Red Admiral did not hang around but I did get pics of the other three
Small Copper
Painted Lady
Peacock

[Gabriela]

The peacocks are so beautiful! they are not found in North America.

[Anthony Darby]

The peacocks are so beautiful! they are not found in North America.

You have the mourning cloak butterfly though.

[mark smyth]

Its amazing that something so small can scare something so big

[Gabriela]

You have the mourning cloak butterfly though.

Also beautiful but I guess I'm partial to the peacocks :-)