Fred's Carnivorous Plants and other oddities

[fredg]

* accepts Maggi is right as the safest course 

[Maggi Young]

Not sure what else I can do to convince you, Fred?     
I believe that some  browsers do not accept embedded videos -  Ian's  tablet only shows a link in Safari - but it is  not a question of the forum not accepting the links. The Forum is "full  " of  embedded video links - all working.

[fredg]

I was minding my own business and this spider took a runner at me.I stepped aside and it followed. She's a young Nuctenea umbratica - Walnut orb web spider or Evening spider. They hide during the day and come back out onto the webs in the evening. We must have dislodged her from her hiding place when we were scraping the paint on the railings.
The bottom photo she found a little crevice to go into stealth mode.



There was another Drosophyllum seed germinated so off I went for a fibre pot and the medium. The medium was already in a bucket so I gave it a quick mix and filled the pot. Over to the Drosophyllum seed pot and transferred the germinated seed. All nice and easy until this leg appears out of the medium, then a second followed (quite a bit behind) by an ovoid body. I just watched as the Harvestman extricated himself then took him over to the wall. This lucky one is in the top two photos.

The bottom two are of one ( A much smaller one) that was resting near the top of the wall and as I had my camera on, why not



This little cutie has taken up residence between a pair of Darlingtonia flower stems. She's feeding well 

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Fred, the bottom one looks like a garden spider, Araneus diadematus.

[mark smyth]

I've always liked carnivorous plants and enjoyed visiting a friend who has a large collection. He gave me some this year to make room for new plants in his collection. Now I'm buying Drosera and Sarracenia

I want to replant all Drosera in to the same size put but I cant find any plain peat in garden centres or DIY stores. Is the contents of grow bags or seed compost any use?

[fredg]

Certainly not Mark, the plants require that the peat is fertiliser free. The best peat we get here is Irish, Shamrock Irish Moss Peat if you cam get it but there are several other brands that are suitable.

[fredg]

Hello Fred, the bottom one looks like a garden spider, Araneus diadematus.

She certainly is that Ian, she has a sister with a web very close over the Darlingtonia and another in the top greenhouse.
There's a large web in the middle greenhouse but I've not managed to get a decent view of the occupant as of yet.
In the meantime here's the cute one again and her sister in the top greenhouse.

[mark smyth]

Certainly not Mark, the plants require that the peat is fertiliser free. The best peat we get here is Irish, Shamrock Irish Moss Peat if you cam get it but there are several other brands that are suitable.

I'll keep trying

[fredg]

Not a great deal happening plant wise at present so I'm using the Arachnid population as subjects.

The resident of the top greenhouse this morning.



Incidentally that is still my sub £100 field camera.

These images should show as 8" wide. They expand to that for me when I click on them. If they don't for you they're available on my site (see signature)

[fredg]

At this time of year it's amazing the amount of insects that are attracted to the sugars in Sultanas. MrsG puts some out for the Blackbirds and we're getting quite a few extra visitors.
The wasps are separating chunks off and carrying them away.

[fredg]

A follow-up

Phaenicia sericata on Sultana

[mark smyth]

At this time of year it's amazing the amount of insects that are attracted to the sugars in Sultanas.

Your photos are so small!

I have a rotten banana beside by Drosera to lure in fruit flies but none have been stupid enough to get caught

[fredg]

Those photos on the sultanas are 6" wide Mark. They open up to that when I click on them.( Windows 10 - Chrome) If you don't get that, see the full size on my forum (see signature)

[fredg]

This one will be big enough.

Dinner date - A pair of Calliphora vomitoria enjoying a meal together

[brianw]

Those photos on the sultanas are 6" wide Mark. They open up to that when I click on them.( Windows 10 - Chrome) If you don't get that, see the full size on my forum (see signature)

All the last 2 pages, excepting the Egret, are wysiwyg Fred. No option to enlarge by clicking. Win 7.