Spring Blossom

When the spring weather turns from sun to showers and the wind drives you indoors - it is lovely to continue to enjoy some seasonal beauty, and one of my favourites is Blackthorn Blossom.  It looks much the best out on the branches - but so pretty close up too.  The contrast of dark brown stems, and the froths of white flowers are enchanting in a vase.

The beautiful white blossom tends to appear early in the year before the leaves. The single, white flowers are among the first to be seen in hedgerows and their appearance often seems to coincide with a period of bad weather, the so-called 'blackthorn winter'.

There is a thought that bringing the Blossom into the house is unlucky - this thorny native plant (also known as Snag) has much folklore surrounding it, but is wonderful for wildlife.  The blossoms, 'heralds of spring', attract a range of early insects to pollinate them.  The flowers produce nectar for bumblebees and early-flying Small Tortoiseshell butterflies.

When the leaves appear they provide food for the larvae of Black and Brown Hairstreak butterflies. The tree is also the food plant for the caterpillars of the following moths - March, Common Emerald, Little Emerald, Mottle Pug, Feathered Thorn, Orange, Scalloped Hazel, Scalloped Oak, Swallowtailed, Brimstone, August Thorn, Early Thorn, Pale Brindled Beauty, Blue Bordered Carpet, Broken Barred Carpet, November, Pale November, Winter, Sloe Pug, Green Pug, Sharp Angled Peacock and The Magpie.

Blackthorn is also very valuable to birds as a nesting site. Blackbird, Song Thrush, Finches, Common Whitethroat and Wood Pigeon are among the more common users.

Really enough of a claim to fame already, and we haven't begun to talk of the wood, or that it is related to the plum and produces bitter fruit, that we know as sloes (eaten since Neolithic times!) and you can dry the leaves and use as a substitute for tea, and ...    Perhaps it should be known as 'Wonder-Snag'!

St George's Day

Happy day - here he is, St George, a little faded from years of doing battle with the dragon!

Carvings at the entrance of Kirkham Priory, North Yorkshire

Ladybirds

Along with the butterflies, bees and other insects, I certainly want to attract Ladybirds to my garden, and not only because they feed on insect pests, especially aphids, but because they are so colourful and it always makes me feel happy when I see them.

Stone mini pot with ladybird

Attracting them into your garden requires some planning - it is a matter of planting the types of plants that they like.

Apart from aphids, ladybirds also require a source of pollen for food and are attracted to specific types of plants. The most popular ones have umbrella shaped flowers such as fennel, dill, cilantro, caraway, angelica, tansy, wild carrot and yarrow. Other plants that also attract ladybirds include cosmos (especially the white ones), coreopsis, scented geraniums and dandelions.

Gardening organically helps.  Not only are ladybirds sensitive to most synthetic insecticides, but if the majority of their food source is gone, they won't lay their eggs. Allowing aphids to live on certain plants is necessary to ensure that there is enough food for ladybirds and being careful not to squish the bugs and eggs will be beneficial too.

Ladybirds have adapted lots of ways of protecting themselves as well - their colouring helps signal warning to birds 'not to eat'.  In fact the blood of a ladybird has caustic properties and is discharged in small drops when the creature is seized.  This peculiar attribute, which is termed reflex bleeding, is due to the blood oozing from around limb joints or elsewhere when the insects are attacked or molested.  I hope not to see this!

Here's to a summer full with ladybirds in all their sizes colours and spottyness. 

 

 

Harrogate Spring Flower Show

I was amazed to see the date so fast approaching for the Harrogate Spring Flower Show on my wall planner - one of my very favourite flower shows.  I know everyone is planning and pulling everything together for the opening on 25th April and it will be interesting to see what miracles the growers have performed after the poor start to Spring and then the destructive winds.

Beautiful unfurling leaves and blossom despite the cold and winds.

I have so few plants growing at all, though in the last day or  two some little shoots are showing and little green bursts of growth and even budding.  A small cherry has just begun to flower.  Poor thing, I have it in a pot in a bit of a corner at the side of the shed and really it is a bit too shady - but it has sprung to life!

My little flowering Cherry bursting into flower

I especially like seeing the show gardens, so it was interesting to read the progress garden designer Mary Elliott is making on her show garden, which she is calling 'Sanctuary Yorkshire' designing with a theme of the garden as a tranquil refuge.

My large stone urn - this is the pot I plan to release from its dark corner 

Do you like her idea of the focal point, of a sculptural pot? I thought it looked just like my pot with the determined cherry in it.  So I feel rather inspired by this and look forward to seeing the garden completed in all its glory on the show days.  Hopefully I will be able to transfer some of these ideas to my little area at the sheds.  And I can make a lovely stone bench too, to sit quietly and admire the pretty pinky white blossoms.

Design sketch by Mary Elliott for her show garden 'Sanctuary Yorkshire'

Drawings from Nature

I don't know anyone who does this better than Milly - her drawing is sensitive, intelligent and beautifully styled and intensely conveys the natural world through her superb draughtsmanship and instinctive use of colour.  Actually,  Milly is a nickname and the lady who is, happiest when drawing, is Eileen Postlethwaite - owner of the wonderful blog Drawings from Nature.  I adore her posts about local walks, collecting items to bring home and draw - whatever medium she uses, and she uses many, she masters with delightful results.

Recently Eileen had a give-away on her blog, and miraculously I was pulled out of the entries as a winner (thankyou Mr P).  Today I received a parcel from her - it is best if I show you what a pleasure it was to open.

From its brown outer wrapping came these two packages with beautiful tags, tags with a hand printed Hare and illustrations of a feather.

The parcel with the Hare tag I had expected, but this was an extra gift, and I couldn't wait to open it.

But first, the reason why I entered the giveaway in the first place - because I could not resist the possibility of owning one of Eileen's beautiful Hare pin-cushions.

Pin Cushion by Eileen Postlethwaite - Drawings from Nature

If you visit her blog, she details how she made it, and printed the Hare image - in drawing - printing - sewing.  I'm really lucky, because I won mine - but I know she is making some more for her shop if you'd like one too.

Eileen even included a pin for me, to start me off using the cushion, but I'm not sure I have the heart to push pins in - perhaps just round the edges!

Then to the second package - it contained this beautiful folder.  The back of which was just as exquisitely illustrated.

But inside!  It contained a host of large cards of Eileen's drawings - leaves, shells, acorns, feathers and more.  I'm examining each and every one in minute detail and marvelling!

Thankyou, Thankyou and Thankyou Eileen - do keep Drawing from Nature and delighting us all!

PS:  I just wanted to add Eileen's note on Copyright - Drawings from Nature

• All the drawings are copyright of Eileen Postlethwaite, owner of all the drawings. Please do not use or copy without asking my permission, which I usually give. Respect my ownership. Thank you.