Early February 2007

[Maggi Young]

You may be right, Lesley, but it is a tough way to get thinner. Actually, I found a shell of one of these yellow/brown striped snails today in my kitchen, Joakim must have visited yesterday for a snack before joining us for the virtual party!  Is this truly a snack food? Live snails? How do you eat them? I just know I'm going to regret asking that. Joakim says "like peanuts or prezels elsewhere ", which suggests CRUNCHY snacks to me,; you're not going to tell me you crunch them, whole?

 I thought only very small children ate slimy things voluntarily, Chloë, and on very rare occasions even then? But, we already know your kids are cute, so I suppose it is really a case of "slugs and snails and puppy dogs' tails......"

[Casalima]

Don't worry, Maggi (at least not quite so much ...) - they are cooked!!! With oregano and other tasty things. They're even sold frozen, ready seasoned, at my local supermarket.

Chloë

[Maggi Young]

But you don't crunch up the shells as well?
and why are Joakim's moving around?

[Joakim B]

Portuguese are small people since they have to bite the snail by the anters and pull them out of the shell and then it takes a while to munch a plate like this compared to eat a bowl of peanuts, btw they only have the peanuts with the shells on so that also takes some time to eat (maybe a diet tipp?). You do not eat the peanuts with the shell on do You? It is like the French eat there garlic snails but smaller! and to a tenth of the cost.
Yes they really look alive so it was a very surrealistic snack that we had. It is common by snackbars by the river sides, not that common in the city, but might be there as well as snacks.

They are boild in garlic and wine and dead even if they "died living" so to say.
Hope the pics made You not hungry.
I lost my craving for a snack at least for a while.
Joakim

[Maggi Young]

I have forced myself to study the snails more closely... now I see they are dead, thank goodness for that. They do look very lifelike at first glance. Taking a long time to eat a little is not a good way to diet, it is just a good way to spend a longer time eating.  (I apologise here to everyone for using this, the most ghastly of four-letter words, I merely quote Joakim's use of "diet", it is not a word/ verb I use myself. I might use it as a noun, but its connotations as a verb are too awful for me to contemplate.)

[Casalima]

I have forced myself to study the snails more closely... now I see they are dead, thank goodness for that. They do look very lifelike at first glance. Taking a long time to eat a little is not a good way to diet, it is just a good way to spend a longer time eating.

I would say that this particular snack is a good way to spend a longer time drinking 

Chloë

[Darren]

Many lovely pictures again this month. Your Scilla is really nice John, and that Crocus sieberi form pictured by Franz. As for the lovely Asarums! Nice to see these becoming so popular.  Amazed to see pictures of Eranthis and some reticulate Iris - these are only just emerging here.

some nice things under glass here:

first was from seed of 'Anemone biflora' from Kashmir (a big bumper bag it was too!). The first flower at 3 years old reveals it's true identity as A.tschernjaewii. It seems very early - my other biflora group anemone species are a good few weeks off flowering yet.

The narcissus is the third flower from my cross of N.cyclamineus and N. jacetanus. It is much smaller and a nicer shape than the one I posted in january.

 an aberrant form of Crocus minimus with buff outers and no markings.

And Ranunculus calandrinioides kindly donated by John Forrest after I admired his plant last year.

[Maggi Young]

Hi, Darren, nice pix, thanks. Your young Anemone is very sweet. Don't  you think that seedlings  just coming to flowering size, or still young plants, often flower a little earlier than one would expect from the mature plants? I put this down to youthful enthusiasm on their part. It is a feature that I have noticed before on various types of plants, I'd love to know if there is a more learned reason than their being keen!

[Darren]

Quite possible Maggi - the flower is also very small (in fact I'm amazed to see a flower yet as the plants are still tiny). Certainly the reduced flower size in juveniles is not unusual.  Thinking further about your comment - I have sown seed from the same packet each year for 3 years and it appears the younger the seedling the earlier it emerges (new germinations showed themselves in december, the two year olds emerged in January and some of these 3 year olds are still popping through in feb). I can think of some ecological advantage to this; plants still growing may benefit from lack of competition by emerging early. Also pest populations may be lower. You might think that the young plants may be more vulnerable to the elements but there is evidence that this is not so from other species (juno Iris and Androsace vandellii can take a lot of overhead water when juvenile but not later). Fascinating topic. When I finally do that PhD....

[Maggi Young]

It IS interesting, isn't it? Yes, think of the seedlings which can take weather that their parents would hate, lots of examples of those in the bulb line, for instance.

[Geebo]

Hi All,
We had a lovely day here,just time to take a few pics around the place.The crocus is "Jeanne d`arc" nothing special,we bought in B&Q
in the sales,the look great in a pot for a few weeks.
Cheers,Guy

[mark smyth]

Guy your Hill Poe is looking rough because it has been moved. Hopefully next year it will be back to normal

[Geebo]

You could be right Mark,it might need also a bit more sunshine I think,Got it from the right place were it was found in Nenagh under the walnut tree.not sure will I move it this year or leave it alone for another year.It also started quite late,there are some near it only showing but now.
Cheers,Guy

[mark smyth]

If you feel you must move it dont do so until a few weeks after the leaves have yellowed. If you move it in growth you'll set it back again a couple of years

[Geebo]

 :)Thanks for the tip Mark,Would you suggest Sun then??
Any Idea  or suggestions what those Galanthus could be??