Fossil hunting at Aust Cliffs

Last Friday we went to Aust Cliffs (http://www.austfossils.co.uk/)

on the Severn Estuary to look for fossils.

The best ones were too big to carry home.

The old Severn Bridge

Happy birthday

Crouching tiger

This won't hurt a bit

Off with his head

Must read more poetry

"O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,

How can we know the dancer from the dance?"

These words were engraved around the side of a small silver photo frame I bought from a charity shop. I hadn't heard them before so searched on google. They are the closing lines of the poem

Among School Children -- William Butler Yeats

I haven't read any of his poetry but I think I will like it.

Feeling very angry

Coed Meyrick Moel

I just went for a walk in search of bluebells. The ideal place I thought of was a Gwent Wildlife Trust site called Coed Meyrick Moel which is close to where I used to live.

http://www.gwentwildlife.org/reserves/CoedMeyricMoel.htm

About 20 years ago I was a member of the Trust and helped with several local projects including working at this site. A new housing estate had been built above the meadow and woodland and the trust built a wooden fence along the footpath below the houses and then planted a variety of small trees and shrubs below the fence. I was amazed at how much this hedgerow had grown and now forms a very dense mature barrier between the houses and the meadow which must be a haven for wildlife.

I found my bluebells and they are beautiful, not only to look at but they also smell divine. There were a few other flowers around but unfortunately it is a bit early and cold for the butterflies yet.

What really made me angry and very sad is the amount of litter and other rubbish that people have spoiled the place with. Not only paper and polythene bags but also cans, bottles and builder's rubble. It looks disgusting. Such a beautiful wildlife area littered and spoiled by a few ignorant people. While I was there I saw two people with dogs which were running free in spite of a sign asking that they be kept on a leash.

I took several photos both of the flowers and the rubbish.

Wood anemones

Herb Robert

Dandelion

The footpath next to the houses and the fence and hedgerow which was planted almost 20 years ago by the Gwent Wildlife Trust volunteers.

Information sign

Common Sorrell

Buttercup

Lady's smock or cuckoo flower

Ribwort plantain

Bluebells

Garden pest

Found this little chappie laying little red eggs on my lilies. Sorry picture not very clear. I identified him on google he is a lily beetle. (must be a she I suppose as it was laying eggs). Apparently it also likes fritillaries so I searched those and found another. Couldn't see any eggs there though. I remember seeing one last year on the fritillaries and wrongly identified it as a cardinal beetle. I will have to be diligent now so they don't destroy my plants

http://www.gardeners.com/Controlling-Lily-Beetles/8090,default,pg.html

http://www.uksafari.com/lilybeetles.htm

Wild about the garden

Love to have wild flowers in the garden to help attract the wildlife. These are few that are flowering now.

Cowslip

Snake head fritillary

Primrose

Violet

The Colour of Spring

It's that time of year again, when I have to take the camera down the garden to record the flowers that are appearing as the sun breaks through the winter clouds. I know you have seen them all before but what the heck, they are beautiful.

THE COLOUR OF SPRING.

In the midst of winter

The dainty snowdrop white

Raises its delicate head.

Though the garden is pale

In the watery light.

As weeks progress

The crocus shows it head

As buds of gold.

The garden awakes

In sunlight bold.

Yellow is the colour of spring

The primrose pale grows now.

So delicate

It braves the cold

I wonder how.

The daffodil in golden hue

This yellow theme echoes

From the cold brown earth,

When March arrives,

It bravely grows.

The star-like celandine wild,

A golden carpet makes

Beneath the trees

The yellow colour creeps,

The colour of spring.

Tinkerbell is 3 today

Orgy in a pond!

February 26th 2010, frog day in my garden. Twelve days later than last year, no doubt because we have had a colder winter. At least 20 frogs were counted there today. Difficult to be exact as they dive when they see any movement so I had to stay very still.

My pond desperately needs a new liner which keeps being put off because of the frogs. It will have to wait another year as the cold wet and freezing conditions have made the task impossible this winter. Maybe it will have to be done late summer when the tadpoles have grown and left.

Snow Angel