Within the garden are large clumps of Geranium Phaeum or Morning Geraniums as they are commonly known, the flowers are small, dark and fairly insignificant, appearing one after the other up the stem. Now the flowers are all but finished and many people cut the untidy, straggly stems back to the neat mound of leaves beneath. However if this action is resisted the reward will be great as bullfinches will visit to enjoy the seeds. These are such attractive birds with their well defined and striking markings and a great addition to any garden.
The delicately pretty wild roses are festooning the hedgerows, both field roses ---white, and dog roses--- pink. I notice a great variation in the depth of colour of the dog roses, from palest pink to a really deep shade. I wonder is this natural or because they have interbred with the field roses? Orchids spotted so far: Bee, Common Spotted and Twayblade.
Lately one of the squirrels has grown increasingly fat, she sits wide-legged and walks with a legs apart gait, she has also grown increasingly irritable with her mate, seeing him off with loud growls. When I first heard this sound I couldn't understand what it was or where it came from, but on watching from the open kitchen window I saw it was a squirrel. Each time her mate approached either her or the food she became aggressive--- growling and chasing him away, this is the first time I have heard a squirrel growling.
For two or three days I didn't notice her at all, then today she was back, patiently waiting on the windowsill. She snatched the food from my hand and sat back where she was to eat it. I put more beside her and shut the window. A jay flew down but lacked the courage to collect food while she sat by it. Her belly is no longer swollen --- indeed she looks so much thinner I hardly recognised her. I wonder how long it will be before we see her little ones.
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