Green Thumb

I have no picture of the “before” for today’s tackle. It was sort of an impromptu thing. A few months ago, we bought a big potted plant with 6 different herbs and a tomato plant. In my kitchen window a basil plant has been sitting and so has Zach’s pea plant that he planted at school. All of these things have needed re-potting in bigger (or separate) pots for quite some ti

Purple Wildflower for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayI found these pretty little wildflowers growing by the ocean.Not sure what kind they are, but they are tiny and a beautiful shade of light purple.They didn't have any scent, and they grew along a stem, one bloom at a time.A few inches up the stem, there would be another bloom. They weren't attracting

The Sesame Street Live : Elmo\'s Green Thumb presale password has just been posted. During this exclusive presale you can buy Sesame Street Live : Elmo\'s Green Thumb tickets before anyone else!. The free pre-sale passcode for Sesame Street Live : Elmo\'s Green Thumbs show in Milwaukee unlocks tickets for a limited time. This is your chance to see Sesame Street Live : Elmo\'s Green Thumb perform H

This Sunday, there are some wonderful things blooming in the garden..Some of which I can name, and some not so much... This is Lantana living in pots by my kitchen door... Beautiful Echinacea Sunrise in the "hot" garden... This is...

Silver Rimmed Grass for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundaySpying these blades of grass along the bank of the lake, I had to grab a shot.The light was just right . It was coming from behind the grass and it seemed to set them aglow.Their thin edges allowed more light through which gives them the illusion of being trimmed in silver.Finding the right light is

I’ve had some food from my garden already - a radish and beat leaf met with my mouth on Friday. More plants will perish at the hands of my hands and hoe. Weeds have felt the wrath of my push hoe’s blade, and new ones should just not bother coming up. You hear me weeds??? [...]

Thin Grass for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayWhile the boys were fishing along the edge of a river, I was exploring the plant life.Not much growing alongside this moving water but I did find some grass that was leaning over a narrow band of sand on the riverbank.These thin strands of green were dipping their fine ends into the water as a few bubbles dri

Pink Wild Roses for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayThis little Wild Rose bush has been with me for over 16 years. We picked it up towards the end of the summer planting season. It was on clearance, and it wasn't looking too strong or healthy. For the price I took it home with me.She has bloomed ever since I put her in the ground - including that first

For many years, I have generally avoided petunias. Once in a while I would plant, mostly as a cascading container plant. There are other plants I avoid, too, like brown wax begonias...probably because they were so overused in the area...

Hi Kids...It is Green Thumb Sunday! I am putting up a quick post of all that is blooming outside...quick because we are having our FOURTH day of sun! I have almost caught up on gardening chores. Today, we will work on the largest border...hooray! So, here we go...Who says veggie flowers can't be beautiful? These are the flowers from one of the potato varieties I am growing...And how about these lo

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Green Thumb Sunday 06/08/08, originally uploaded by BenSpark. A Daisy at the beach taken with my super wide fisheye lens.

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on Technorati I am glad to report that the raised vegetable patch is proving to be a great success. Everything that I have planted is doing really well . I have had to remove a few plants as I had planted them to close together in my eagerness to grow as much as I could. The Green Roof is also exceeding my exp

I have a fascination with plants. During my university years, it was much better for the plant if the admiration was from afar, since caring for them never seemed to go over well. However, I kept at it and finally had a few plants that survived my yellow thumb. Sadly, I had to part with [...]

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Green Thumb Sunday 06/01/08, originally uploaded by BenSpark. I think this is an Orchid Iris. It is out front and was the only one with white petals on the inside.

Yes folks, it's time for Green Thumb Sunday, once again...I have been working in the yard the past couple of days...we finally had sun again. Although a little worse for wear, I got a lot accomplished. Haven't had time to pay much attention to my flower beds since I have been out planting veggies in the Back 40. But by next weekend, I should be able to focus on my little pretties...Another couple

Pink Hollyhock for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayThese pretty little Pink Hollyhocks are so fragile.The color was gorgeous - a creamy center with light pink edges.They didn't have a very strong scent - just a light sweet smell.Most of the blooms had passed on this plant.I was happy to have caught this one in all it's glory.

I picked up just a couple tomato plants, and not the beef stake ones like last year that didn’t produce. Granted, they weren’t in full sun last year, so maybe they didn’t stand a chance. In any case, this time it’s a try with an ultra-sweet, and some other that produces supposedly in under 70 [...]

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on Technorati In the last few days the wild plants have gone mad. Colour is everywhere making it a magical time. One of the wild flowers appearing at the moment is the Campion (Silene Dioica) both the red and white varieties. Don't ask me why but apparently Silenus, the drunken, merry god of the woodlands in Gr

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on Technorati After yesterdays work party at the Lawley Green Space, I went off on a mission for Butterfly Conservation It follows on from work that I was involved in last year, recording and relocating two species of butterfly. The two species being Dingy Skipper and the Green Hairstreak . The two species can

Last Sunday and Monday I planted. Beets (two types) peas, cucumbers (2 types), zucchini, spaghetti squash, green peppers, potatoes, spinach, romaine lettuce, radishes, beens (2 types), carrots, kohlrabi, two sunflowers. Hopefully everything comes up :-) It rained on Saturday, and is supposed to rain on Sunday. Unfortunately, I’m away from the city for a prayer service for [...]

Purple Lilacs for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayThere is nothing sweeter in the spring than the smell of the lilacs.We transplanted these purple lilacs to our home over 23 years ago.The state had just passed a proposal to put in ramps to the highway, and they took the three homes that were on the land they needed by eminent domain.One evening after work

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Green Thumb Sunday 05/25/08, originally uploaded by BenSpark. A Beach Rose across the street from our house on Cape Cod. They haven’t bloomed yet but soon they will be out in force.

I still need to get out and plant. Yesterday was so windy, I was afraid I’d lose all my topsoil if I disturbed it, but so far it’s nicer today. I should take my potatoes and throw ‘em in. – UPDATE: I did throw the potatoes into the ground. And some peppers, radishes (I think), leeks, and [...]

As I mentioned last Sunday, I am now participating in Green Thumb Sundays...I think I should have done this yesterday...still learning the ropes...in any case, here are my artistic attempts at showing you what is blooming now...This is a pair of beautiful white ranunculus and on the left, you can see the bottom of an iris about to bloom.This is the virtual arrangement my mom received for Mother's

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on Technorati Down at the bottom of our small garden we have a beautiful tree. It is a hawthorn calledCrimson Cloud (crataegus laevigata)We have had the tree around 4 years now and this has to be the best I have seen it blossom. As you can see it is covered in these beautiful blossoms, set off with the leaves.H

Large Green Ferns for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayThe photo does not show it, but these ferns were some of the largest I have ever seen. And I have only captured the tips of them. There is no way I could have fit the whole fern in the frame.In their relaxed position in the photo, they are up to my chest. If they were held straight up, they would be

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on Technorati The Green Roof on my shed has surpassed all my expectations even before any of the seeds have come into flower. Their is so much colour and every day when I pop up to have a look something different has come into flower or the seeds are that bit further on. It will be interesting from this point on to see how the plants cope with the drier weather, this might be the best that it will do, or if we have a little rain every now and then it will only get better. My neighbours are loving it to and it causes quite a lot of comment from the ones that can see it. The vegetable patch is also doing very nicely and it wont be long before the first veggies sampled. The radishes are growing by the minu

Cue trumpets and choir... "Behold, I give you Tuberous Begonias!"And, they are one of my favorite flowers...but tuberous? That is just wrong...I mean, Begonia is such a romantic, inspirational name...Tuberous, ummm, not so much...sort of sounds like a diagnosis.Doctor: Ms. Van Krevelen (yes, that's my real last name), we regret to inform you that your toe has become tuberous. We are going to have to remove it.Patient: What?!?! I always wore shoes in the garden! How could that happen??I supposed we could call them by their initials, "TB"...oops, ok, that sounds worse...let's just go with Begonias and we will all know what I mean...What's weird, is that I found an article that said their flowers are edible. Seriously? It suggested creating a begonia flower sorbet...I am not sure...it soun

Snake on a Log for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb Sunday Walking past the woodpile, a small movement caught my eye.This little garden snake had been napping, and it raised it's little head as I passed by.It stayed nice and still so I could capture a photo - I just wish I had included the tip of the tail that leads off the bottom of the image.I have only seen it there once - but I keep waiting for it to surprise me when I least expect in a new spot in the yard.

I got some free potting soil, so I refreshed some of my indoor plants, and put some pots on the balcony to get them ready for some tiny veggies or herbs. I tried planning a couple radishes, and a couple yellow peppers, so hopefully they sprout. There is plenty of rain forecast for this week. [...]

Setting up a small green house as a hobby is a totally different ball game from making a business out of it in the form of a commercial green house. If you have the right aptitude, attitude and resources and are willing to put in the hard work and commitment that is required in managing [...]

See a sample of some of my seeds? I should sow some on Sunday. Red, green, and hot peppers, an orange seed (not going to plant that one), and some wimpy sunflower seeds that probably won’t work, and a couple of pea seeds that I doubt will sprout too. I also have several packets including radishes, [...]

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on Technorati Blossom in the orchard Over the last week with the weather improving several of the fruit trees in the orchard are coming into blossom. The first to show was the Williams Pear. Then the Braeburn Applefollowed by the Kidds Orange AppleThe Morello Cherry And finally the Red Fallstaff Apple. All the rest of the trees are now into leaf and well worth a visit. One of the things on the 'to do' list, is to make an information board so that visitors can tell what type of fruit grows on each tree. Over in the wildlife area we have been working on removing grass that has taken over in the flower areas, as you can see from the picture their was quite a bit of grass and now that it has been removed al

If the weather holds out, I may do a little planting this weekend. I’ve been neglecting photographs for a while, but I’ve been away on Sundays, so have a pretty good excuse. I went to see my garden plot in the community garden on Grant Rd. and it looks big enough to grow quite a [...]

Blades of Grass for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayAfter being heavily packed down by the tremendous weight of the snow, the grass is finally beginning to make an appearance in our yard.I have noticed this spring that many of the dried grasses in the fields have suffered from this winter's record snowfall.Even the dried leaves in the woods are very compacted.The new growth is having a hard time to push through - but it is coming - and what a great sight it is to see!

Preoccupying yourself in a hobby like gardening has grown to be a feel good hobby, that involves a considerable amount of work but at the end of the day, it can be satisfying and rewarding. Some people indulge in it as a personal therapy and others it is the time to bond with their family [...]

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on Technorati After just over a month of being planted the fruit trees in the orchard are at bursting point All 16 trees have taken and are at various points of growth. With the weather expected to warm up next week I bet there will be much more to see soon.

This past weekend the sun was out and I really felt the need to get out and garden. I pulled out my last year's Mothers Day gift - a portable green house and started filling the trays with starter mix and seeds. Hopefully most of the new seeds will germinate and I will be ready for transplanting outdoors in six weeks. I know there are many other people itching to get out and garden and ti - R

Thistle Macro with Bee for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayAnother image from last summer - a macro shot of Purple Thistle.There was quite a patch of these pretty purple beauties and they were surrounded by little bees.I had never seen this type of bee before - they had the most beautiful metallic green color on their backs.Their little pollen sacks were filled to overflowing as they hovered around the flower tops.It was very hard to get a photo of them as they were very quick, and every photo kept coming out blurry as they flew around.I set a higher shutter speed to catch them in action, but the depth of field ended up suffering for it - the back of the flower isn't in focus.Macro photography is tricky to begin with as the DOF is usually very sha

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on Technorati Well today The Green Fingered Photographer is a year old, I have found it to be a fascinating year, meeting loads of interesting and like minded people from all over the world, learning plenty of new things and generally enjoying myself.The idea of the blog was initially to show you our trials and tribulations of growing vegetables in our back garden, from that it has evolved to cover all sorts of topics that are of interest to me. I hope you have enjoyed the blog so far and I'm looking forward to another year of blogging with you all. My First post was about choosing which flower bed to turn into the vegetable patch. Once chosen it was cleared and planted with vegetables. 2007 turned out

With the growing season creeping up, I’m thinking a new camera may be in order to take some photos outdoors. A handy list is steering me toward another Canon Powershot. This time it will have Image Stabilization, but I’m also considering a camera where I can attach better lenses, including ones suited to extreme close [...]

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiLawley Green Space GroupThis is the most exciting project that I have ever been involved in. The reason why, is that it involves the community and the green space where I live.For the past 6 years I have been looking after a wildlife area in front of my house. I have been able to look after and maintain that area due to it's size. However I had other plans and thought this would be a great opportunity to involve the rest of the community.(to enlarge click on the images) As you can see large development work is taking place all around us . This development is called Ironstone and will involve some 3000 new houses, a school and local amenities. I along with everyone else am quite concerned ho

Moss Covered Root for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayThis shot was taken last spring and there is so much snow still on the ground this year, it will hard to find this sight any time soon.So looking forward to spring arriving!

Taken in a restaurant by the title name, in Winnipeg. The “weed” that will haunt many a gardener this year. Remember, if you catch them young, and unsprayed, you can eat their delectable little green leaves in salad. Their yellow heads can be carefully picked for wine making.

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiMy Green Roof has been up and running for 3 weeks now and a few changes have taken place.I have added a bug box , made from the left over wood that went around the edge. I filled it with dried teasel stems and hopefully it will provide shelter and breeding places for bees, ladybirds and lacewings that will visit the flowers on the roof . I have added more plants as well, most are alpines so they should be used to the growing conditions they will experience on the roof. I have also added 5 wild strawberries ( Fragaria vesca ) around the edge so that they will dangle over. I have also added several logs from my garden with the intention of creating a focal point and also additional habitat fo

I don’t suppose it’s come up for gardeners too much yet, but Monsanto has flexed its corporate might a great step too far with farmers the last decade (or longer). Percy took them on, on more than one occasion, and came away smelling like a rose. His latest victory is an important one. $660 isn’t [...]

The spring thaw is underway in Regina. The streets are mostly clear where there isn’t much shade. I don’t have any new photos from the past week, but here’s one from autumn a few years back. - This tall thing took 2nd place in a contest of about 70 people around Canada. I think it was [...]

SmalltownSK has some fantastic photos of rural Saskatchewan on their flickr stream. It reminds me of traveling for work at my old job. The grass in this photo makes me think of mowing. And also pulling grass from around strawberries in the garden. There’s a nifty smiley face here, and the other photos are cool too. And [...]

Overgrown Driftwood for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayThe last couple of weeks I have been posting about a view from the rocks at the ocean.This week's post features a shot of what was on the other side of the rocks.This old, weathered piece of driftwood was tossed way up on land by the waves during a storm.It has almost been completely overgrown by the weeds and plants that flourish along this stretch of the coast.Just to the right of this scene, it turns quickly into a thicket of bushes with thorns and one of my worst plant enemies - poison ivy. I swear I break out with a rash just by looking at it! Stumble It! Digg It!

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiAfter making my raised bed last week I had some wood left over that I said would be perfect for making nest boxes for Blue Tits and Great Tits . Well there was enough to make two boxes. As you can see I part cut the wood to show you the pieces you would need to make the boxes. I followed the instructions from here Hey presto... two bird boxes. The one on the right was made last year . It has the right size hole for a Great tit. I brought it back in to give it a good clean out before reattaching it to a tree. I use a bicycle inner tube , that is beyond repair, to attach them to the trees. As this stops you damaging the tree and it will also stretch with the tree as it grows.The one to the le

Rock Scape for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayLast week's post had us sitting on the rocks at the ocean.Today I am posting a wider view of those weeds growing in the rocks above me.The storm clouds are still passing over in this shot and they give a dramatic feel to this image.I do wish I had used a smaller aperture for the depth of field, that way all the rocks in the foreground would be in focus too. Stumble It! Digg It!

Weeds Against the Sky for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayBack to the days of summer with this post.I was sitting down on the rocks at the ocean, and upon turning around, back towards the shore, I spotted a patch of weeds growing out of the rocks above me.The clouds had just cleared and the green color looked quite striking against the blue sky.Upon a closer inspection of them, they had tiny little white flowers along the length of the stalk, so I think they are some type of wildflower.Next season, I will spend an extra minute checking them out to find what kind they are. Stumble It! Digg It!

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiSince my rather poor effort with my vegetable patch last year I decided that I had to make certain changes if I was to improve this year.The main lesson I learn't last year was that my soil was quite poor as it was very clayey. After the vegetable patch was finished last year added plenty of organic matter to help with this and gave it a good forking and turned it over. I then let nature and the frosts take their course and break the lumps down for me. I have also added another trench of Bokashi to help improve the nutriant level. Once the Bokashi is in the trench you just cover it over with the soil and let it do it's thing. I still felt though that the only way to have a better crop of ve

Beaver Lodge for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayFor the last couple of weeks, I have been posting about a hike through a swamp, and about a tree that a beaver had gnawed down.This will be the last post on the beaver, I promise.The above image is of the beaver's house, or lodge.It looks like a mass of sticks just piled together in the water, but there is really quite a network that he has built under the water that we can't see.He places the trees just so, and the entrance to his home is nowhere near the lodge - it starts quite a ways from it - almost like a tunnel of sticks and trees under the water.He builds several of these tunnels - it is always nice to have an escape route if needed.Since this was out in the middle of the swamp, this was as

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOr checkout Green Thumb Sunday on TechnoratiThis picture of catkins was taken on the 8th February 2007.This one was taken of hazelnut catkins on the 6th February 2008...a bit of a difference.As you can see the hazelnuts are also in flower. You can click on the picture and you will see the tiny red flowers just by the buds. Both pictures were taken from the same place, the wooded area in front of my house. The weather has been really mild this winter and am sure many gardeners will be suprised to be seeing plants in flower several weeks ahead from when they would normally, like these dasies in the grass. To date I havn't seen many insects, so plants that are in flower now probably won't get pollinated, resulting in less fruit later on

Busy Beaver for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayFor the last couple of weeks, I have been posting about a hike through a swamp.Last week's post showed a tree that a beaver had gnawed down.This week's post shows a close up of the beaver's handiwork.You can see how he just kept circling the tree as he gnawed away on it until if just got so thin that the tree toppled over.If you view the larger image, you can see the actual teeth marks that he made.It really is a work of art in itself! Stumble It! Digg It!

How To Join Green Thumb Sunday Green Thumb Sunday Blogroll The Blackthorn Tree BlossomMany of you might have guessed that I'm fascinated by plants and their histories. Very few plants are in flower or doing much of anything at the moment, but the first tree to blossom will be the Blackthorn tree. It is not in flower at the moment but can flower as early as February or March depending on what sort of winter we are having. The tree is mainly found in hedgerows and the flowers are creamy white in colour and quite similar to Hawthorn flowers. Leaves will appear towards the end of March along branches that have sharp spines, this is to help protect the tree from grazing animals; it also provides ideal nesting for birds.One of the main uses of the Blackthorn is its fruit. These are black and rou

Trail Marker for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayFor the last couple of weeks, I have been posting about a hike through a swamp.The trails are maintained by the Audubon Society, and there are different colored markers posted on trees to mark the trail you are following.We came upon this tree - gnawed down very nicely by a beaver. I had to chuckle - that trail marker was pointing in a direction that I was not inclined to follow.I think he was trying to tell us humans to find another trail and leave this area to him. Stumble It! Digg It!

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOver the past couple of weeks I have put up post's about traditional Christmas plants, Holly and Ivy. Which means that there can only be one left...MistletoeEvery time a man kisses a girl under the mistletoe, he is perpetuating a magic ritual that has gone on for thousands of years (a good excuse ). With the centuries, the ritual keeps changing its form. In the early 19Th century , for instance, each young man given the privilege of a kiss had to pluck a berry from the twig, and once all the berries had gone there were no kisses for latecomers.According to Pliny the Elder, writing 1,900 years ago, the Druids of Britain would cut down mistletoe with a golden sickle for use in their sacred rites. It was made to fall on to a white robe,as contact with the earth would have drained away the magic powers of this air-borne plant; and two white bulls were then sacrificed to ensure the potency of the magic. Pliny added that the plant had

Snow Covered Pines for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayThis is how my Balsam Fir Pine trees looked yesterday morning after 10 inches of snow fell the night before.We are getting a major snowstorm tomorrow, so I fear the poor things will be completely drooped after we get the predicted 12 inches.One of these was going to be our Christmas tree this year but it looks as if we will have to come up with another idea. Stumble It! Digg It!

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollRobin Red Breast Robins are one of Britain's favourite garden birds. They are such a familiar sight, with their bright red breast, especially around Christmas time. They do however spend the whole year here. Males and females look identical; the young have no red breast and are spotted with golden brown markings.Robins sing all year round with a distinctive beautiful song, and due to light pollution, they can become confused and you will often hear them singing at night time, perched on a lit street lamp.Despite their cute appearance, they are extremely aggressive birds, defending their territories and driving away all other birds, either by flying at them or by attacking them with their beaks. I have often witnessed this type of behaviour at the feeding table at my work place.You will rarely see two robins together in the same area except when it come to mating time, when you will see several males perusing a female or maybe o

Ice Drop for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayMy little Wild Rose bush is still beautiful in the winter.Gone are the abundant bright pink blooms of the summer and fall.The pretty little green buds and foliage are also missing.After a recent ice storm, a crystal drop was formed atop one of the dried thorny stalks.As soon as the temperature rises above freezing, this little work of art will be gone.Mother Nature sure knows how to put on a show! Stumble It! Digg It!

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday Blogroll Red GrouseOne of the many wild animals you are likely to see on the Stiperstones is the Red Grouse. The Red Grouse, is a medium sized plump, reddish-brown bird which is related to the Ptarmigan. It is very well camouflaged and it might surprise you when you're walking the moors. If it's disturbed, the red grouse rockets up from the heather and flies off with rapid, whirring wing beats calling 'go-back, go-back'.Heather is the main source of food for the red grouse. It loves the young, tender shoots.The red grouse is one of the few birds that stay on the moors all year round as the heather is managed and patches burnt off each year encouraging new growth. In the burnt off patches plants such as bilberry and cow berries are able to grow and produce another supply of food with their berries.

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOrange Tip Butterfly As we are heading into Winter I thought I would show you one of the indicators I use to show the forthcoming Spring has arrived. I use the Orange tip Butterfly. As the name suggests the tips of its wings are orange in colour, but only the male has this marking, the female has black marking on the tips of her wings. They can be quite easily confused with other white butterflies that also emerge around the same time. The easiest way to identify them is when they are resting both the male and female have mottled green undersides, which is unique to them and acts as camouflage.The butterflies live for around 18 days and only have one generation a year. They can be found anywhere where their food plant grows.This is Garlic Mustard, or as it is sometimes known “Jack by-the- Hedge”, it is a common perennial that is often found in hedgerows and damp woodlands. The eggs may also be laid onto Cuckoo flower and othe

Boot Planter for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayI did a post titled Green Succulent on 11/11. It was a macro image of a Hens and Chickens succulent in a boot planter.A couple of viewers requested that they would like to see the whole planter.Today's post shows the entire recycled boot that is used as a planter in the garden.It also made a unique display by the doorstep and on the steps.It was interesting to see this hardy garden plant used in another setting - and it adapted itself quite well. Stumble It! Digg It!

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollGerberas were named after Traugott Gerber, a German doctor. The plant is native to South Africa (Transvaal and Cape Province), and this accounts for the alternative names Transvaal daisy and African daisy. Over time the plant has migrated to Madagascar, tropical Asia, and South America. Gerberas belong to the Aster family (Asteraceae).I decided to have a go at some florist flower photography and with Gerberas being one of my favourite flowers they were a good starting point. I wanted to use natural light and a plain black board behind them to show them off. I am quite pleased with this image and it will be something I will do more of through out the dark miserable winter months.

Grasses in the Water for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayIt was an overcast day when we climbed a small mountain to this little spring fed pond.The light reflecting off the water was enough to make these water grasses appear to glow.By using a polarizer, the glare was cut down on the water, and the roots became visible beneath the surface. Stumble It! Digg It!

Green Thumb Sunday Join Green Thumb Sunday Photo-A-Day #845 08/01/07, originally uploaded by BenSpark. A bumblebee visits some pitiful looking flowers, I liked the rich purple color of them however and the capture of the bumblebee’s wings in flight.

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollSneezewort and visitors Sneezewort tends to be a late summer flowering plant, providing insects with useful source of nectar. I have wondered how Sneezewort got its name, but unlike many of the other plants I have featured, this one is not as interesting as the name might suggest.Nicholas Culpeper, the 17th Century herbalist, recommended sneezewort for those with stuffy heads, saying that 'the powder of the herb stuffed up the nose, causes sneezing, and cleanses the head'.Another herbalist, John Gerard, this time from the 16th century first recorded the plant in the fields of Kentish Town, now part of North London, and said that the smell was enough to make a man sneeze. The Latin name for the plant Achillea ptarmica, also gives it its sneezing name as ptarmica, comes from the Greek word ptarmos, which means 'sneezing'.However it got it's name I think you will agree that it is a delightful late summer wild flower, I just hop

Green Succulent for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayThis is a macro of a Hens and Chickens succulent plant.You can see the sole of a boot just under the leaves on the lower left.This old, worn out boot was recycled into a planter for this little plant, and it is totally filled with all sizes of Hens and Chicks.My sister came up with this clever idea and it is a unique, beautiful addition to her garden. Stumble It! Digg It!

Green Thumb Sunday Join Green Thumb Sunday I dug way back in the archives for this one. It is Photo-A-Day #168 from 9/23/05. It poured around here yesterday so I didn’t shoot any recent photos for GTS.

Variegated Hosta for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayI did a post titled Green Hosta on 10/26, and posted a photo showing the changes the plant had made.Today's post has an image of the Hosta that has not changed.The beautiful greens and creams are swirled along the length of each leaf.The leaves are smaller, thicker, curlier, and they have more pronounced details in the veins.They are a beautiful ground cover that lasts all season. Stumble It! Digg It!

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday Blogroll Original Fruit ArtCarrying on my theme of Original Nature Art works here is a new piece. The great thing about creating these original nature arts is that you don't always have to go far for the materials for each piece. This one was created in my back garden from the Rowan tree and its fruit.The berries start off pink and gradually change to white, giving a great contrast between them and the leaves. Because of the colour of the berries, the birds tend to leave them 'till last, as they always start on the red and orange ones and it isn't until all of these have gone before they go to other colours.So why don't you pop out into your garden and see what art you can create.If you would like to see more nature images you can do so by visiting my web site Dragons and Damsels Wildlife Photography

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOriginal Hazelnut Art Carrying on the theme from last week with Original Acorn Art . I have created some more nut art, using Hazel nuts and leaves from the Hazel tree that grows in the wildlife area in front of my house.I didn't have to cajole them to make this pattern as, as you might of guessed it is I who make the patterns. You can view more of my Original Nature Art here and at my Lulu storefront.

Purple Columbine for Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollHow to join Green Thumb SundayA macro shot of Purple Columbine taken in the spring. Taken with the Tamron 90mm macro lens Stumble It! Digg It!

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday Blogroll Original Acorn ArtSome of you will be familiar with my Original Snail Art .Well as it is getting colder the snails are tucking themselves up for the winter, so it is not as easy to persuade them to come out and perform. What else could I do, I thought to myself. Well a flash of inspiration came to me the other day when I was out wondering around in the local woods. What about Original Acorn Art.I thought that this would be harder as waving lettuce around would not work very well with acorns, as they are not living things in the same way the snail are.What could I do, I know what I will use another animal, to help persuade the acorns.So I found a group of acorns and whispered to them that if they would perform an original piece of art I wouldn't let the squirrels eat them. can you believe it ...they agreed and before I knew it they had arranged themselves into this colourful seasonal pattern.Amazing

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday Blogroll The Hawthorn treeThe Hawthorn tree or 'May Tree' is a native British tree and is many things to many people. The Hawthorn has also long been considered a sacred and healing plant by Druids and Pagans. Traditionally the tree of the Fairy Queen. It is said that fairies and spirits had their meeting place under the hawthorn tree. A spring-time custom was to plait crowns of hawthorn blossoms and leave them for the angels or faeries who came at night. It was believed that if the faeries chose to dance around the crowns, blessings would be showered on those who had made them. Sprigs of hawthorn were attached to the cradle of a newborn baby to afford protection against illness and evil influences. If worn or carried it was said to give psychic protection, to lift the spirits and banish melancholy but unlucky if brought indoors. I personally find it a uplifting tree as it is a sure sign of Spring and of better weather to come. I have

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday Blogroll(click to enlarge...if you dare) Crab Spider on Lavender Crab spiders do not spin webs to trap prey, but hunt on the open ground or on vegetation and flowers. Typically crab spiders are predators that lie in wait to ambush their prey. Though their jaws are rather small and slender, many crab spiders possess potent venom's that quickly immobilize their prey. Flower spiders, a particular type of crab spider, rest on flowers and remain motionless for long periods of time with their front two pairs of legs extended in readiness. They ambush butterflies, bees, flies, and other flower visitors; their venom's enable them to successfully attack insects much larger than themselves. They do not wrap their prey in silk after biting, but instead remain with the immobilized prey until they have sucked it dry. This picture was taken in France this year and shows a crab spider waiting on lavender for its prey.

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollOne of the sights that has not been that common this year , is the Cinnabar caterpillar on the Ragwort that grows in the wildflower area at my signal box. The caterpillars are very distinctive and they use the toxins in the Ragwort as a chemical defence against being eaten by birds. The poison is passed on from the caterpillar, through the chrysalis to the moth, making it one of the most poisonous moths in Britain.This year I haven't seen as many caterpillars, so I am guessing that the rain in the summer washed away most of the caterpillar eggs. The plant itself has quite a railway history, as one type of Ragwort, Oxford ragwort spread with the railway boom in the 19th century. It was an introduced plant , found only on old walls in Oxford - where it was abundant, having escaped from the city's Botanical Garden. It suddenly began to spread along the line of the Great Western Railway, which was opened between Oxford and London i

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday Blogroll During the Crusades, the Knights of St John of Jerusalem used this St John's-wort to heal the wounds of the Crusaders. This was in accordance with the so-called 'doctrine of signatures',which said a plant could cure the ailments of the part of the body which it resembled.But St John's-wort does not outwardly resemble any part of the anatomy: its supposed magic lies in the fact that when a leaf is held up to the light it is seen to be covered with translucent glands resembling punctures, which medieval folk saw as 'wounds'. According to the doctrine, because the leaf appeared to be punctured it was capable of curing wounds - especially those received in battle.St John's-wort was also esteemed for its power to drive away devils and evil spirits. In medieval times , the plant was hung in windows and doorways to prevent Satan and his emissaries from entering. If a woman thought herself to be possessed by the devil, and when C

Green Thumb SundayJoinWe went to the store today to buy some things for the yard (Sheperd's hook, bird seed, etc.), and came home with this tree. Why? Because the proprietor had lost the tag and had no idea what tree it was or how much it cost! So he gave us "the mystery tree" for $15! I'm pretty sure it's a Yoshino Cherry (although it could be a Kwanzan Cherry), so my wife and I aren't too worried about it. But, neither of us are experts, so we don't know for sure what it is, so until it gets some fruit or nuts or flowers on it, it will remain "the mystery tree!" Here's the leaf just in case any of you tree experts can tell me what tree I have. Any suggestions?

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday Blogroll One of the challenges in photographing Dragonflies, is catching them in flight. I have been photographing them for the past five years and it is something I have managed to do only a few times and having a digital camera really does make the difference. It also helps if you understand the behaviour of the dragonflies as they tend to have an area they patrol, looking for either females to mate with, or to fight off males from their patch.That knowledge helped in both of these pictures: The top picture is of a Four Spotted Chaser, he had just mated with a female and was patrolling above her as she laid her eggs. He was doing this to ensure that the eggs that he had just fertilised were laid and that another male hadn't re-mated with the female, which would have destroyed the eggs that he had just fertilised. The second picture is of a Emperor Dragonfly, this was taken at one of my favourite locations, Berrington Pool. That is the

Recently after some heavy rains I went out into my garden to collect nasturtium seeds. As I was lifting up some of the foliage, to look for fallen seeds on the ground, I noticed a few slugs. My first reaction was "Cool! A new bug to photograph" but then it dawned on my that having these garden pests in the garden wasn't such a good thing.I've probably have had slugs in my garden for a while and just haven't noticed the damage they cause to plants because I over plant. I stuff as many plants as I can on my tiny urban lot that sometimes a damaged or missing plant will go unnoticed for a couple of days.One the one hand I'm dreading the future of my urban garden and the addition of these garden pests. While on the other hand I'm having fun hunting slugs and photographing them and seeing their arrival in my garden as a sign of success. Since their population seems to be minuscule I've researched methods of non-toxic slug control that I've posted on my other gardening blog.My favor

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday BlogrollFleabane For centuries the leaves of Fleabane, when dried and burned were said to give off a vapour which drove fleas away.This quality must have made the plant highly prized in times when thousands of fleas swarmed among the rushes and sweet -smelling grasses which were laid on the floors of houses. Even in its unburned state the plant, when sprinkled on the ground apparently acted as an insecticide, though in a slightly different manner. The Romans also held the plant in great esteem, for they used it to make wreaths.The generic name Pulicaria refers to the plant's power against fleas, Pulex being Latin for 'flea'. The species name Dysenterica recalls a time when flebane was used as a medicine against dysentery.

How To Join Green Thumb SundayGreen Thumb Sunday Blogroll The perennial Aster or 'Micklemas daisy', as they are also known ,gives a long-lasting show of violet-purple daisy flowers that heralds the end of summer and continues well into autumn. It is a nice contrast of colour , as many of the flowers at this time of year are red or orange. The flowers attract bees , butterflies and many other insects and is a welcome source of nectar as many other flowers are coming to an end.