Posted in Birds, Nature, Uncategorized, tagged birds, Nature on May 19, 2019| 2 Comments »
Female blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) eating mahonia berries in the garden this spring
I’m afraid I am growing complacent about the birds in my garden – seen one baby robin in spring and you have seen them all! However, there are always some comparative rarities to be captured on camera. (more…)
Posted in Nature, Trees, Uncategorized, tagged Nature, Trees on May 7, 2019| 9 Comments »
Fresh green leaves on the full moon maple (Acer shirasawanum) in my garden in early May
The tree-following link box has now closed for another month. To explore everyone’s updates, please go straight to the bottom of this post.
If you are new to tree following, read all about the idea here. Why not join us? Point us to any tree-related post you would like to share, using the link box published on the 7th of each month and lasting for a week.
Here in Cardiff we have again had a mixture of weather this month and our usual warm south-westerlies have deserted us. It was mild for a while, then we had chill winds from the eastern half of the compass, meaning surprisingly steamy breath in the mornings. Later came more rain and a short spell of sunny and almost warm weather, tempting us to “cast a clout”.
Here are the all-important links from this month’s tree followers…
Frances at Island Threads, off the North West coast of Scotland – hawthorn
Hollis – In the Company of Plants and Rocks – a stand-in this month (out of town)
Flighty’s Plot – Liz’s witch hazel in Lexington, Kentucky, and Mike’s apple tree
Anni Kelsey – Gardens of Delight – trees on the Welsh border
Alison at the Blackberry Garden – the two quinces blossom
Erika Groth in Sweden – aspens
Pat – Squirrelbasket – the London plane of Mermaid Quay
Andrew – Kind Hearts and Corydalis – Oliver the oak
We always love to read your tree news – so thank you to everyone who contributed this month. See you all again on June 7. Why not join us and follow a tree throughout the year? Although we all try to publish every month, we are very forgiving if you post less often.
Posted in Nature, Trees, Uncategorized, tagged Nature, Trees on May 6, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Here is another round-up of tree news articles from around the world. Click on each of the pictures if you would like to read the full stories.
See the world’s oldest trees by starlight
Beth Moon slept under ancient baobabs and waited out the clouds to photograph Earth’s arboreal beauty at night – they are showcased by National Geographic…
Palace oaks offered to restore Notre Dame
Scone Palace in Scotland has offered to donate its oak trees to help rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris recently ravaged by fire, reports the Courier…
Posted in Garden shows, Gardening, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff, Gardening on April 21, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Appealing green bears on the Easigrass (artificial grass) stand at the Cardiff RHS Show
We usually go to the Cardiff RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) Show but this year I had to go alone as the husband can’t walk very far at the moment. I went on the morning of Sunday, April 14, and the weather was bright but slightly cold – perfect for wandering around and taking a few pictures… (more…)
Posted in Nature, Trees, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff Bay, London plane, Nature, Trees on April 13, 2019| 14 Comments »
New growth on the London plane tree in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay
We are well into spring here in Cardiff, although there is currently a chill easterly wind and the nights are almost frosty. At least the sun is shining so we should be grateful as there was one particularly wet and miserable week recently.
I could see from a distance that the London plane tree in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, was slightly tinged with green at last.
But when I visited with my camera on April 10 the sun was very bright, so I couldn’t really tell what I was seeing in detail until I inspected the images later. (more…)
Posted in Nature, Trees, Uncategorized, tagged Nature, Trees on April 7, 2019| 8 Comments »
Cherry blossom on a tree in Lloyd George Avenue, Cardiff Bay, in late March
The tree-following link box has now closed for another month. To explore everyone’s updates, please go straight to the bottom of this post.
If you are new to tree following, read all about the idea here.
Spring is a very good time to start, so why not join us? Point us to any tree-related post you would like to share, using the link box published on the 7th of each month and lasting for a week.
Here in Cardiff we have had a mix of weather. For a whole week it was glorious spring, sunny, warm and dry, but then last week it was as cold as winter with sleety rain and some hailstorms.
Here are the all-important links from this month’s tree followers…
Alison at the Blackberry Garden – Quince
Erika Groth in Sweden – aspens
Frances at Island Threads, off the North West coast of Scotland – hawthorn
Flighty’s Plot – Liz’s witch hazel in Lexington, Kentucky, and Mike’s apple tree
Pat – Squirrelbasket – the London plane of Mermaid Quay
We always love to read your tree news – so thank you to everyone who contributed this month. See you all again on May 7. Why not join us and follow a tree throughout the year? Although we all try to publish every month, we are very forgiving if you post less often.
Posted in Nature, Uncategorized, tagged Cardiff Bay, Nature, Spring, The Wharf on April 6, 2019| 4 Comments »
Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) on the Wharf beside County Hall in Cardiff Bay
It has been over a year now since I first walked around the Wharf (former Bute East Dock) next to my office at County Hall in Cardiff Bay.
I have visited more or less every month so I have no idea if I will spot anything I haven’t seen before. But I will keep on looking anyway. These pictures were taken at lunchtime on March 26… (more…)
