Wildlife 2007

[Paddy Tobin]

Anne,

Of course you take out the squidgy bits - a very  light sprinkle of salt and a flavouring with some crushed garlic, all lightly sauteed in butter. Yummy!

Paddy

[John Forrest]

Thanks Sue (and others having the same problem as me,furtling about in the mental cobwebs). I think it is Agastache urticifolia from the nettle shaped leaves.

[Carlo]

Well...only because football has been referenced here (or somewhere near) before, I'll let you know that I'll be seeing wildlife of a different sort tomorrow night when David Beckham and his mates come to New York to play my Red Bulls. Even if he's not the player he used to be, it'll be a cultural event...as well as a sporting one.

It isn't happening at Madison Square GARDEN...but at the MEADOWlands across the river (really in NJ).

I know...but I had to try to connect it to gardening somehow...

[Lesley Cox]

Will you have the exquisite pleasure of seeing La Belle Victoria as well Carlo?

[David Nicholson]

Carlo, I am pleased to see that you enjoy the beautiful game. You must try to get over to the UK and see some proper football!

[Maggi Young]

Will you have the exquisite pleasure of seeing La Belle Victoria as well Carlo?

Well, he's better have his specs on, if that girl turns sideways she disappears!  I'm sure she will be there, though: not going to miss any chances for photo opportunities to help establish American  star credentials... not to mention bit of NY shopping!!

[Carlo]

I hardly think she'll miss a trip to NY...but with over 60,000 expected, I doiubt we'll have a chance to visit. She's certain to stand out in the crowd...

David, "the beautiful game"...you should see the children play in Mexico, coursing up and down dirt fields in their bare feet, clouds of dust swirling....

[David Nicholson]

David, "the beautiful game"...you should see the children play in Mexico, coursing up and down dirt fields in their bare feet, clouds of dust swirling....

Carlo, that's probably why very good English (Scottish, Welsh, Irish and Northern Irish) players are in such short supply these days. Unless kids today are kitted out in the most expensive shirts and boots they don't want to play.

[John Forrest]

Half our players seem to be hobbling about on broken feet at the moment, so much for the designer boots!!!

Here are  some more wildlife pics.

The Damsel flies were taken by the canal. I wonder how the male Damsel Flies feel about being given such a sissy name. It doesn't seem to have emasculated this one, doing what comes naturally.

I found these rather attractive Tulip seedhead in the garden, mainly because they were caught i  a shaft of sunlight. When I put the macro lens on to photograph them I noticed a spider lurking.

Look away if you are an arachnophobe.

[Carlo]

John,

GREAT spider picture. I, for one, find them very photogenic.

For those who care...great match last night Red Bulls 5 Galaxy 4. An exciting back-and-forth affair.  Beckham: two assists and solid (if unspectacular) play in a losing effort...and NO Posh sitings...

Going out on the lake today to view the gardens from the water...

[Anthony Darby]

The spider is a rather slim Araneus diademata, the so-called Garden Spider. There is a very nice Araneus sp. found in the USA which has bright orange thorax and femurs.

[mark smyth]

Garden Spiders scare me! On Friday I had to evict lots from inside the greenhouse

[John Forrest]

I knew I could rely on you to give an ID Anthony. Cheers

Be gentle with them Mark. Remember all the good work they do in ridding us of disease carrying flies.

[Andrew]

... of the shelled menaces... all brown and boring... not a decent earring to be had from the lot of them.

Would these be any better Maggi.



I have some empty shells of the stripped one and had not seen a live one for a while, but when looking for the yellow one I had seen on a plant a few days ago, there it was !

The large one does not need much searching for, it seems to be everywhere. I was reading an article the other day about snail farmers and it mentioned about there being a lesser/greater, small/large one, is this the edible type ?

[Carlo]

A slimy rainbow if ever I've seen one!