Mid July Visit to Herefordshire

 

Inbetween medical appointments, family birthdays, car service and mot, gas boiler service etc., we managed to get away to Herefordshire the week before last for four nights.

We arrived on the Tuesday afternoon. First task was to water the pots and garden!  The plants had suffered yet again from the dry hot weather.  I've now lost the oldest lavender plant I had there but the rose in a pot, geranium, new lavender, houseleeks, herbs, tomato and chilli plants had managed to survive.  Most of the plants in the garden and border are still more or less ok.  If we continue to have hot dry summers I may have to have a re-think as to whether it is worth bothering having pots.

Cattle sheltering from the sun under the Herefordshire Oak

The Octopus Tree in the centre of the photo.

The Constable Tree(s)

As you can see there has not been much change in the Herefordshire Trees since the last visit.

Teasel in the garden

D's chilli plant has two flowers :)

On the Wednesday we went into Leominster to do a food shop at Morrisons. 

Thursday and Friday we just stayed at the caravan and yet again I spent a lot of time reading. If I am honest it really was too hot to go out visiting places and walking although I was tempted by the thought of a church visit as they are usually so cool inside.

On the Friday I went outside and counted butterflies for Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count.

I just counted the maximum number of butterflies seen at any one time in the 15 minutes of the count.

Meadow Brown x 1

Small White x 4

Gatekeeper x 4

Large White x 2

Holly Blue x 1

Sorry no photos - the butterflies were far too active!  No sign of the Red Admirals, Peacocks or Speckled Woods we had seen on other days!

Timothy was not enjoying the heat any more than me.

Early on the Friday morning before I had woken up B saw three Green Woodpeckers on the grass in front of the caravan. One of them was a juvenile being fed by the adults.  Later in the day we saw a Linnet feeding on seeds in the grass.  I was really pleased with this sighting as I haven't seen a Linnet for years and it was a new species for the caravan site.

Linnet

I used the bat detector most nights and it is good to know the bats are still around the caravan. They weren't appearing until about 10.30 pm so it wasn't easy to see them unless they were flying against the sky.

We left early Saturday afternoon. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we return and I hope it will be a bit cooler next time! Static caravans cool down quickly at night but they heat up in the sun very quickly in the daytime :(  I am very pleased we thought to buy a tower fan last year!

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).

Brief Trip to Herefordshire - end of June and beginning of July

 

I thought I'd take a short break from writing about the Isle of Wight (the post on Godshill will now be the one after this!)  as we had a short visit of three nights last week to Herefordshire.  For one reason and another (heatwaves, Isle of Wight holiday, family birthday and medical appointments) we haven't been able to go for 5 weeks and I was really really worried about the plants there. I have really missed Herefordshire too!

We didn't do a lot to be honest apart from some gardening and a trip to Morrisons Leominster to stock up on food.  D didn't come this time and I do miss his company as he always motivates me to go out although I had also developed yet another bout of cellulitis so it wasn't easy walking very far. I spent a lot of time watching the birds and butterflies and reading a very good book published by Logaston Press on the Ludlow Castle Heraldic Roll

Timothy at the front of the caravan.

There hasn't really been any change in the Herefordshire Trees

Herefordshire Oak

Constable Tree

Octopus Tree

Unbelievably most of the plants in the border and garden had survived.  The main casualties were those planted in pots even though we leave an upside down wine bottle filled with water with a small hole in the lid in them.  It does somewhat ruin the photos but usually if we are only away from Hatfield for a few weeks it keeps the plants watered.

I lost my orange dahlia bought earlier this year which I was upset about as D had repotted it for me.  The rosemary looks less than healthy but hopefully will recover.  The thyme has died although to be honest the plants needed replacing anyway.

The rose has suffered but at least it is still alive and perked up when it was watered well and deadheaded after this photo was taken!

The pink geranium I also bought earlier this year and also repotted by D had survived  and was full of flowers.

The succulents are doing well but to be honest they don't need much water. In fact, they probably prefer it to be dryer!

The mini alliums, mint, new lavender and a chilli plant D took there last visit were all fine.

Only one nasturtium came up from the nasturtium and pot marigold seeds planted which is a shame.

Unfortunately the apple tree in the garden which had a lot of fruit this year has lost a lot of apples.  I am not sure if this is due to the dry weather, or the fact that I think they do sometimes shed apples or a combination of both!

B wasn't happy that two teasels had regrown in the garden.  When we first planted them they took over the small garden and self seeded everywhere even in the gravel! They are great for pollinators when they flower though and goldfinches love the seeds.

The perennial wall flower is still flowering and my favourite hollyhock in the border is now in flower.

Red (or rather yellow) hot cross pokers.

Timothy relaxing on the sofa.

We arrived on the Tuesday and came back Friday evening for a family birthday.  We thought travelling in the evening would mean less traffic but as it happened it took over an hour longer to get home than usual.  The M5 was closed between Droitwich and the M42 juction which created havoc!!!

Next post I will return to the Isle of Wight holiday and Godshill!

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).

End of May Visit to Herefordshire - Part 1: Hatfield

 

We returned to Herefordshire last week for 4 nights and this time D came too :)  We arrived on the Wednesday and stayed until the Sunday. I'd had to go to the GP's before we left as yet again cellulitis has raised its ugly head. Although the locum I saw seemed to think it may be another condition which sounds even worse than cellulitis!  The weather was lovely if a trifle too hot at times!!! We had a good journey and spent the rest of the day relaxing at the site.

There has been little change in the Herefordshire Oak, Octopus and Constable Trees since the last visit.

On the last morning (Saturday) we were lucky to see a Painted Lady nectaring on the perennial wallflower in the border. It stayed around for about half an hour.  I know there has been an influx of this species into the country but this is the first I have seen this year.

*D

D re-potted a dahlia and geranium I had bought and also sowed nasturtium and calendula seeds in pots.

Spiderlings on the car door!

*D

The family are all huge Aston Villa supporters. I have supported them since my father took me to my first match at Villa Park when I was around 11.  Sadly, we don't go to matches these days but the Europa League Final was on tv Wednesday night so we watched the game.  We were thrilled when Villa won the match 3-0 and thus the Cup.

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Warning don't look at  the next photo if you don't like spiders!

Zebra spider on one of the caravan windows.

*D

I used the bat detector most nights and we also had quite close views of the bats foraging right by the caravan.  We put out hedgehog food and saw the hedgehog one night. Record shot by D.

*D

2026 Wild Plant Challenge

We continued with our quest to see 100 plants this year and managed to add several species to the list.

Not sure what this thistly type plant in the lawn is though!

If you enlarge the photo you may be able to make out tiny yellow flowers below the daisies. This plant is Lesser Trefoil.

Ash and Hazel

Clover

We also added Mistletoe (no photo as it is now mainly out of sight due to leaves on the trees) and Greater Stitchwort.

*D

One evening D and B went a walk around the pool and lower field.  I didn't go as I had been walking round Leominster with D that day and my ankles and feet had swollen up again! So these are D's photos from the walk.  The mannequin dressed in red by the pool is quite frankly scary and I can only assume it has been put there to frighten away Canada Geese.

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D also walked to the Hen House at  the end of the drive to buy some eggs. 

Cow Parsley

*D

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Nuthatch on the feeders and a Swallow.

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On the Thursday we went to Tesco in Tenbury Wells to do a food shop.  The verges of the lanes are full of Cow Parsley and Buttercups. Hawthorn is past its best now but Elderflower is starting to flower - another new species for the Wild Plant Challenge.

On the Friday D and I went to Stocktonbury Gardens which I will write about in the next post.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and those marked *D taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks)