Another Creepy Crawly!

The Dung Beetle

Cute, isnt he!! I see these guys a lot on my walks. They are sometimes referred to as Scarab Beetles. Guess what they eat ... yup, they eat dung. That sounds pretty disgusting but they are doing a great service by clearing up this animal waste. There are loads of different dung beetles all over the world. Many live in and eat the stuff and are known as dwellers, some bury the dung where they find it (the tunnellers) and some take the dung to a burrow. These chaps are called 'rollers' as they roll the dung to their homes. Nice. I guess you could say its extreme recycling!

One really interesting fact is that they navigate using The Milky Way. Apparently they are the only creature other than humans that do this. See theses links for more info

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Dung_beetle
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21150721

Recipe Updating

Dont forget to check out the recipe page, am going to add a few more.....

A Bushy Tale - A Story From My Ma

A gentleman had written to a daily paper about his meat-eating habits that didn’t cost him anything as he collected, cooked and ate road-kill. Not something I’ve ever done but it was his mention of squirrel tasting like bacon that had me thinking about our recent difficulties. Yes, squirrels!

Cheeky seed thief

Now I know lots of people think of them as tree rats but, and I’m almost ashamed to say, the bushy tail has me thinking otherwise………..so cute…………. and husband and I do quite enjoy watching their acrobatic displays in the garden. Ooh, the cheeky little imps, how clever they are. But not when swinging from our birdfeeders! For crying out loud we can’t afford to feed the birds, the squirrels, the dog, ourselves, Tom, Dick, Harry and any other bod that wonders in with a fancy for a bite to eat.  Hrrumph even the mice have been known to help themselves from the sack of seeds when someone has forgotten to close it!  Indeed, they had the cheek to let us see them before doing a runner. 

The birds used to flock to the feeder until, having worked out how to reach it, Mr and Mrs Squirrel - and for all we know their sons and daughters, aunts, uncles, cousins and all and sundry that appeared to be invited - started to come to the what was fast turning out to be a garden party to rival the Queen’s regular gatherings. Open house, open all hours seems to have become the rule. Now the birds hardly ever call because there is either no room or no food left at the inn!

So what to do? Send out the dog?  Nah, wouldn’t work.  She’s not much bigger than a squirrel and she couldn’t even fit a squirrel’s nuts in her tiny mouth. Even some old hazelnuts thrown into the field in an attempt to mislead failed abysmally. Oh what fools we are.

The Dog Bo, shes only little!

However, that well-known technically difficult trick of opening and banging shut the window worked well for a while, though not easy as the said window is in a particularly awkward place to reach and standing guard from morning to night was doing absolutely nothing for my equilibrium, nothing for my poor overworked arms and even less for my old gammy, sciatic-killing leg. But surprise, surprise it wasn’t long before this monotonous arm stretching for just a few of visits had increased because of The Squirrel Family’s steely determination to create a permanent squat.

Obviously, it was time for some seriously drastic action so we bought two squirrel-proof feeders, one for fat balls and one for the seed. We couldn’t wait for this new start in our little garden (haha, and life). Would the The Squirrel Family be deterred? 

Well yeh, for all of two days. They learnt to swing the feeder while clinging to the pole with their back claws. Aargh, the cheeky little imps, how clever they are! 

SO WHAT TO DO? Grease the pole, that’s what!  And I did. I used my best extra virgin olive oil giving it a good all over coating. Oh how I laughed and laughed when Mrs Squirrel attempted to climb it. No chance. “Get a grip, darlin’” , I said, covering my mouth with my hand and trying not to smirk. So she climbed the beautiful acer (golden ??) and promptly slipped down and here perhaps I should state no harm was done in this exercise. But oh how we laughed and laughed. In fact it was one big laugh. For all of three days.

What happened? Yes, you’re right, The Squirrel Family solved the, or I should say their problem, by jumping from the acer tree onto the top of the pole and wrapping their back legs around the other feeder. Right, now I’m going to move the fat ball feeder and re-oil the pole. Let’s see if that works because if it doesn’t I’m certainly not going to chop my acer down.

So, whilst I’d rather eat pig……………………………………………………………

Look what the cat brought in!

I have lost count of how many times Elsie, our black cat, has brought me a slow worm. I usually catch her before she does much damage. There are lots of these creatures in and around our garden, which is great as they eat mainly slugs and snails. Well theres plenty of molluscs here so tuck in!

Slow worms (Anguis fragilis - fragile snake) are actually legless lizards and not snakes as many people think. They have the ability to shed their tails if caught. The tail then wriggles around a lot to distract the predator so hopefully the slow worm escapes. It will then grow a new tail.These small creatures have been know to live past 50 years old! Amazing. That is unless they bump into Elsie!

 

'What? Me? No, wouldn't hurt a fly'...hmmmm!


 For more info on slow worms, have a look at this link http://www.arkive.org/slow-worm/anguis-fragilis/?gclid=CNX2j7fW6LcCFcXKtAod3mEAmw

A Trip To A North Devon Attraction

This one is at least 20ft high!

Broomhill Sculpture Garden, near Barnstable in north Devon is a worthwhile trip out as we discovered recently. It is a hotel where a variety of sculptures can be found dotted around the informal gardens.

The garden is well managed in a subtle way where wild flowers (some may say weeds!) mingle with shrubs and perennials, to great effect. The garden is surrounded by woodland and bordered by a stream which feeds various ponds.

It really is a relaxing place and even though it was fairly busy, you could find a quiet spot to enjoy the art and the garden.

   

It isn't the easiest place to get about if you have difficulty walking, due to the natural slope of the land and the various steps but you can still see  many of the sculptures with ease.

If you are feeling rich, most of the sculptures are for sale, sadly I dont have the money or the room for any, so my photos will have to do!
     

Another attraction here is the cafe. We had to stop for a rest on the terrace with a pot of tea and two rather large slices of chocolate brownie. Would love the recipe!

Have a look at the Sculptures page for more pics.

Here's a link to the garden http://www.broomhillart.co.uk/