Category Archives: Flora/Fauna

Aug 25 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Spontaneous City in the Tree of Heaven

Monday 24th August 2020, 6.10pm (day 3,287)

Spontaneous city, 24/8/20

The slightly overblown title of this post is not mine. As explained on a notice board beneath this tree, ‘Spontaneous City has been designed for the Tree of Heaven in Duncan Terrace Gardens [in London]… The design of the bird boxes is inspired by the architecture of the Georgian houses and 1960s flats that surround Duncan Terrace.’  So there you have it.  I didn’t see any birds using this bijou residency, but maybe they can’t afford the rent on an Islington property.

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Aug 17 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Ragwort

Sunday 16th August 2020, 1.40pm (day 3,279)

Ragwort, 16/8/20

Ragwort, or Jacobaea vulgaris, is one of those plants that demonstrate environmental priorities.  Its bitter leaves are full of alkaloids and poisonous to horses and cattle, so farmers are supposed to keep it under control and there are acts of Parliament that declare it, by law, a ‘noxious weed’. But apparently horses don’t eat it anyway, as it tastes vile.  Meanwhile, it is highly beneficial to pollinating insects: indeed, for some, its their only source of food.  So let that ragwort grow, I say.  This large clump of it currently flourishes in a field above Hurst Road.

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Aug 15 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Dog for sale?

Friday 14th August 2020, 3.20pm (day 3,277)

Dog on stall, 14/8/20

Friday market, Hebden Bridge.  Things for sale: boots, bags, boxes…. and this dog perhaps? Or maybe it was just selling off a few of its spare possessions.  There was no human in sight.

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Aug 13 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Let hostilities commence

Wednesday 12th August 2020, 1.20pm (day 3,275)

Two daddy longlegs, 12/8/20

What is the plural of daddy longlegs?  Daddy longlegses?  Daddies longlegs?  Neither seems very satisfactory.  Anyway, these two members of the genus Pholcidae were either about to square off with each other — or possibly mate.  As I type this the following morning, I’m looking at the same spot in the corner of our living room, and neither of them is there now, so it was either a devastating battle or a good party.

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Aug 04 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Overburdened

Tuesday 4th August 2020, 12.10pm (day 3,267)

Overburdened chilli, 4/8/20

A dull day in every sense.  Also the last day of life for this chilli plant, which as you can see has put all of its efforts into this single great fruit, and spent itself like the one-hit-wonder pop group. The chilli went today into a very nice curry; and the plant, with our thanks, was put out of its misery.

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Jul 23 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Garden fruits

Wednesday 22nd July 2020, 4.35pm (day 3,254)

Raspberries, 22/7/20

Late July, a time of year when certain things are fated to happen.  I have time off work and do as little as I can, and the garden begins producing fruit.  Fate has done its duty with both in 2020, despite everything.

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Jul 22 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Heartbreaking story about terribly cute creature

Tuesday 21st July 2020, 12.45pm (day 3,253)

Tragic lamb, 21/7/20

I went on a Lakeland walk today.  I didn’t feel like mentioning this story when using this photo on my walking blog. If you’re having a day full of the joys of summer, and don’t feel like having it spoiled, admire (or not) this picture of the lamb. (The mountain in the background is Black Combe, where several years ago now, I took another picture of a sheep that I still rather like.)  Then move on, your day unblemished by tragedy.

Sadly, this lamb is in trouble. A minute after taking this shot I came across its recently deceased mother (I warned you…).  Although I didn’t conduct a close inspection, the ewe could not have died that long ago: probably from an attack by a fox or some idiot walker’s unleashed dog.  I hope the local shepherds find this orphan before too much longer passes: after all, that is what they do, and are good at. But people, please — keep your dogs on a lead when there are sheep about. You knew that, right?

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Jul 15 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Red and green

Tuesday 14th July 2020, 4.50pm (day 3,246)

Red and green, 14/7/20

Another day with not much happening.  But at least it marks the end of the present stint of work — I am now off until the start of August. I doubt this will lead to any radical changes in the content of this blog, at least not immediately.  Although it would be nice to see people feature more — there have been no people at all, even in the background of shots, for ten days now.

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Jul 13 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Dog portrait

Sunday 12th July 2020, 3.05pm (day 3,244)

Dog portrait, 12/7/20

Now the pubs have reopened, dogs are once again obliged to spend their Sundays wondering why their owners are not letting them just clamber over everyone else in the beer garden.  This one has given up on it all, and decided just to keep a close eye on the piece of litter: before it dozed off, anyway.

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Jul 10 2020
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Monarch of the fern

Friday 10th July 2020, 5.25pm (day 3,242)

Peacock butterfly, 10/7/20

When the sun shines, we all deserve to perch on a fern somewhere and stretch out at 5.25pm on a Friday evening. Lockdown or no, it’s been a busy week. And butterflies have a lot still to do.

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