Tags
bumble bee, Damselfly, Dragonfly, frog, pond skater, Rabbit, squirrel, Suffolk, summer
This is a post title I have used before and a very useful one it is too!
I have been going through the photographs I took last year in my garden and have found a few that I didn’t post for one reason or another. Some of them are ok and some of them are definitely not but I will include a few of the latter as a record to myself of what I saw. I won’t bore you with all the shots at once but will split them up into digestible portions.
I veer about in my attitude towards rabbits. When I see rabbit kittens and young rabbits like this one I am full of love towards them. How sweet they are! I once looked out of an upstairs window early one morning and saw a couple of adult rabbits with a tiny rabbit kitten. The adults were watching the baby and eating grass now and then while the kitten was exploring and skittering about, having fun. It then ran up to the adults and rolled on its back just in front of them. One of the adults nuzzled its head against the baby. It all looked so peaceful.
I don’t feel quite the same about rabbits when I find large holes dug in the flower bed or bark chewed off my favourite trees and shrubs. I am grateful for the control exerted on our rabbit population by stoats.
While hanging washing out on the line one summer a young rabbit ran past me. I could tell from the way it ran that it was distressed and wasn’t sure where to go. It headed for one of our vegetable plots. I then saw the cause of the rabbit’s fear; a stoat appeared round the corner of the house and well, skipped past me and made straight for the vegetable patch. I couldn’t bear to watch any more so I went back indoors. We haven’t seen any stoats in the garden for a couple of years – but we haven’t had too many rabbits either!
This frog would not turn round so I could only photograph its back. Common Frogs can be found in shades of yellow, orange, red, green, brown and even blue and usually have dark spots and markings on them. They also have a dark patch behind the eye.
Grey Squirrels were introduced into this country in the mid-19th century but didn’t become established here until the beginning of the 20th century after many releases.
They use their short front legs to capture prey that has fallen onto the surface of the water.
That’s it for now.
Gallivanta said:
So much to see. We have a regular hedgehog visitor at the moment. I appreciate its help in keeping the snail population under control.
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you Gallivanta! Hedgehogs are such useful creatures. I don’t think there is anything about a hedgehog that I don’t like.
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Gallivanta said:
Unfortunately our Department of Conservation hates them and considers them an introduced pest. 😦
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clarepooley33 said:
Yes, as always – ‘one man’s meat is another man’s poison’. The Grey Squirrel is a real pest here as is the Muntjac Deer. We are having real trouble hanging on to our hedgehogs. Yours could be packed into crates and exported back here. I think many people would pay good money for them!
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Gallivanta said:
That is true. A while back an attempt was made to send some of our bumblebees back to the UK. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10650372 This was the last I heard of it. I don’t know if it worked out or not.
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clarepooley33 said:
How interesting! This is the first I have heard of this (2010 was not a good year for me ). I will do a little delving and see what I can find.
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Gallivanta said:
It would be interesting to know. I don’t want to burden you with extra reading but in light of your earlier comment you may like to see my post on how the hedgehog came to us https://silkannthreades.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/any-relation-of-mrs-tiggy-winkles/ It’s a remarkable story. I rather think they deserve a trip home to ancestral fields.
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clarepooley33 said:
I wonder if anyone else has thought about sending them home?
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Gallivanta said:
Not that I have heard. I am sure authorities in New Zealand would be only too happy to oblige.
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clarepooley33 said:
There would no doubt have to be rigorous health checks. It probably would never happen. Conservationists here are still trying to establish the causes for the hedgehog’s decline. They are trying to get gardeners to make gaps in their fences and hedges for the hogs to pass through to enable the animals to find enough food and also mates.
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Gallivanta said:
Indeed, it would probably take some serious quarantine to make our hedgehogs safe for export. However we do it for sheep. Why not hedgehogs? 😉
That’s very interesting about making gaps in the fences. Henceforth I will take a more positive view of the gaps and breaks in my fence.
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fodrambler said:
Your Dragonfly identifications seem spot on and they are good pictures, clear enough to see the identifying features. I am not sure about the Frog though, did you try kissing it?
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clarepooley33 said:
I didn’t as I never like to force my favours on anyone!
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quietsolopursuits said:
Your garden must be very critter friendly to attract such a variety of wildlife. I have the same mixed feelings about rabbits and deer, both are beautiful creatures when seen in the wild, but in the garden, they quickly become destructive pests that one would rather not see so close to home. 😉
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clarepooley33 said:
The animals like the garden because we have left a lot of it as wild garden, a. because we always intended to do this and b. we haven’t had the time to garden properly. The wild garden is mainly scrub really which animals quite like. When my husband retires later this year we will be trying to put a little order into it and will probably ask advice of the local Wildlife Trust. Have just been discussing hedgehogs with Gallivanta a blogger from New Zealand They need to get rid of them and we in the UK need to find out why they are disappearing from their native land. I suggested NZ ship them back here.
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tootlepedal said:
I particular regret that we don’t seem to get dragonflies in our garden when I see your pretty shots.
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clarepooley33 said:
We are very fortunate to have lots of ponds and ditches in the village.
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tootlepedal said:
And a bit of warmth too which must help.
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clarepooley33 said:
Though last summer was a cool one compared with the year before.
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New Hampshire Garden Solutions said:
Rabbits in the garden certainly can be a problem but they are fun to watch. They seem to feel right at home, sunbathing on the lawn like that.
I wonder why they tried so hard to introduce gray squirrels. That doesn’t seem like a very wise thing to do, what with few predators to control the population.
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clarepooley33 said:
I know! I can’t imagine what they thought they were doing!
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Jill Weatherholt said:
Beautiful photos, Claire. I particularly enjoyed the sun-bathing rabbit…so sweet.
I love to capture nature in all its glory with my camera.
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clarepooley33 said:
I do too! I was so pleased to see this rabbit looking so relaxed.
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lundygirl said:
The rabbit makes me think of Peter Rabbit and his escapades in Mr MacGregor’s garden.
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clarepooley33 said:
Yes! He was quite at home in the garden!
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tamara said:
Clarepooley, I have something for you here:
https://mybotanicalgarden.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/a-thank-you-note-for-my-botanical-gardens-5-most-active-commenters/
I hope you’ll like it!
All the best, Tamara
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you very much Tamara!
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tamara said:
You are most welcome!!!
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Cynthia Reyes said:
Clare, these are marvelous! What great timing and skill to capture these. That rabbit dozing. The damsel fly in that wonderful blue-y colour. And the pond skater. Great photos!
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you so much. I don’t know about timing and skill – perseverance more likely! I erased so many out of focus shots and trotted what seemed like miles round the garden waiting for the damsel and dragon flies to land somewhere.
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Cynthia Reyes said:
Hah! Have these wild creatures never heard about posing for their close-ups?
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clarepooley33 said:
Obviously not here!
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Aquileana said:
Beautiful post dear Clare!… The rabbit is so cute! … Does he still visit you?… 😛
Sending love your way…. and best regards! Aquileana ;D
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you, Aquileana! I haven’t seen the rabbit recently but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still out there! Best wishes, Clare x
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beckarooney said:
You have a wonderful selection of wildlife, with you on the rabbit damage though. They are destructive little scamps when they get going! I’m amazed how you managed to capture photos of the dragon and damselflies, by the time I have turned my camera on they have flown away! x
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clarepooley33 said:
They are difficult to capture I must admit! I follow them about and wait until they stop to rest. Sometimes it takes ages and I am often unsuccessful. My camera and my camera skills are not good enough to capture them flying.
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beckarooney said:
Your patience pays off! They’re stunning captures. 🙂 x
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clarepooley33 said:
Thank-you!
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