Owner: The Green Fingered Photographer URL:http://thegreenfingeredphotographer.blogspot.com Join Date: Sat, 12 May 2007 08:58:36 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: The Green fingered photographer is a blog all about my favourite interests of Photography, Nature and Plants which have grown and complimented each other for a number of years Site statistics:Click here
Some Of The Things We Do 2007-05-11 19:03:00 We have been enthusiastically recycling for some years now but one of the things that we have been unable to recycle to date are the Tetra Pak style of cartons. The cartons are used for all sorts of products but mainly milk and fruit juice but they are also being increasingly used for a range of other liquid foods such as soups and pasta sauces.Until now they could not be recycled however Tescos and Tetra Pak have joined forces and have started a recycling initiative. The new Tesco store in Shrewsbury will be the nearest store to us initially but the rest will follow shortly. So that is something else that can be recycled. From previous blog posts some of you will know that we are big fans of the Drought buster , it is such a simple and very user friendly bit of kit .Most of the house light bulbs have been changed over to the energy saving type of bulb, this has become easier as more types and sizes have become available and the cost has come down quite dramatically. The one product th
Butterfly Group 2007-05-09 22:22:00 Jenny Joy , the Butterfly
Conservation Officer for Shropshire is setting up the Shropshire Butterfly Group
.If you are interested in joining the Shropshire Butterfly Group e-mail newsletter (which plans to have 3-4 issues annually) then please e-mail Jenny at jjoy@butterfly-conservation.org .The newsletter aims to report on current activities in the county as well as listing events and areas where people might be able to help conserve butterflies in Shropshire.
Dragon Hunting 2007-05-09 21:22:00 Just in case you didn't know I am a Dragon
hunter, I also go after Damsels and I am so enthralled with these two things I named my Web site after them.What is he talking about I hear you say!!Well it is Dragonflies and Damselflies. The picture below is of a female Brown Hawker laying her eggs (Oviposting) and is one of the first pictures I took with a digital camera back in 2002 and I have been hooked ever since. The time of year when they start emerging is upon us and Graham French who is the Dragonflies in Focus Officer for the British Dragonfly Society is organising a training day for the Common Club-tail dragonfly (Gomphus vulgatissimus) . The training day will enable people to identify the dragonfly and be able to go out and survey this species along the River Severn.The day is being held on Saturday 19th May 2007 and is meeting at the Attingham Park car park, Shrewsbury at 10.00 am.If you would like to come along please just turn up at 10.00 am or let Graham know by e-mailing hi
Small World 2007-05-09 20:40:00 I have only been Blogging for just over 3 weeks and I am fascinated how people miles apart have the same thoughts on life. My artistic horizons have also been broadened from visiting Blogs from around the world and I have found that no two artists are the same.One of my favourite artists is Donna Steele , she is a New Zealand artist who in her own words is a " Total Texture Junkie ".She has recently come up with a new series which is based on her extended family, it is well worth a look and you wont be disappointed. Read more:Small
, Small World
, World
Disaster !!!!!.....Goldfinch Update 2007-05-07 17:30:00 Nature can be so cruel...The Goldfinch nest was attached today by a magpie, who ate all of the chicks. The next door neighbour, in whose garden the tree is, heard the parents tweeting away and when he looked the magpie was sitting by the nest eating the chicks. He chased it off, but it must have returned later and finished off the ones that were left.The parents came back twice, landing by the nest and looking into it and seemed bemused that it was empty. I know that this is nature and these things happen but it quite upsetting, as all the neighbours have been taking a keen interest in what has been going on. Perhaps, because we could see the nest,that this was it's down fall as the magpie's could it as well.One of my colleague's at work did say that it could be that the magpie's have Internet access and just Googled for Goldfinches and this was how they found them. If this is the case it could be quite worrying........To end on a brighter note, at least it rained today and that no Read more:Disaster
, Update
Three Weeks On ....... 2007-05-06 22:53:00 Everything is certainly getting bigger and most of the seeds are starting to sprout. I have also added wildflower seeds around the edges and between the pea stakes with a view of attracting insects but also to make it look nice. With it being so dry for so long the drought buster has proved to be an excellent buy as the veggie patch and the rest of the garden have only been watered with water from the bath. As we are on a water meter here I would hate to think how much it would have cost if I was watering from the house tap. I have moved the bag's of spuds to a sunnier location and they have gone mad, we have topped up the soil twice in the last few days. The onions are noticeably more onion in appearance to, though i suspect they will need thinning at some point. The slugs are not to much of a problem at the minute, it is hard to say whether this is because it is so dry or the nightly check by us and the frogs is having an effect.We even had some chives, from the patch with tea tonig Read more:Three
, Three Weeks
, Weeks
Only A Mother Would Love.....Goldfinch Update 2007-05-05 20:56:00 One of the main reasons why I was after the Sigma converter (see post below) was so that I could get a better view of the Goldfinch young. They started hatching the other day but I was unable to get a close up, well now I can and I think it was worth it. I took this picture about 6.30pm just as the sun was starting to go down. It lit up the young so well, showing off their spiky hair do, you can also see that they haven't opened their eyes yet. I kept watching and the one in the middle opened it's eyes and stared right at me, what an amazing sight. I took these pictures from my back garden this time rather than looking down on them. I will keep watching as I would like to get a picture of them being fed. Read more:Update
A New Bit Of Kit 2007-05-05 20:41:00 A new bit of kit arrived today, it is a very early birthday present that my wife has bought me. It is a Sigma 2 x converter. It allows me double the focal length of my two Sigma lenses, the 80-400mm telezoom lens and the 180mm macro lens. I tried it out on the Whisteria and the Paul Scarlet Hawthorn. I think you will agree it is well worth the money. The pictures also show how important light is, as it can make an ordinary picture look that bit better.
Some Of The Things You Can See...... 2007-05-04 17:13:00 I went to the Wyre Forest this week with Jenny Joy, who is the regional officer for Butterfly Conservation . I have known Jenny for a number of years and she knew I was interested in seeing some variety's of butterfly that you can find in the Wyre Forest and I hadn't seen before. She suggested I came along , so long as I helped to record the butterfly species and numbers.The first butterfly we came across was a Grizzled Skipper. This particular one appeared not to have been hatched for long as its wings were still curled around and the hairs on its body were still damp. That was quite lucky as it allowed me to get very close.The day started to warm up and the forest started to come alive. The main attraction in the forest is the Pearl-bordered Fritillary. The forest is a stronghold to the species with many colonies dotted around . One of it s food plants is Bugle which is found along the rides throughout the wood and as a consequence this is where you tend to find the butterfly. Thr
No 9,Jam,Toast And A Bucket !!!! 2007-05-03 19:54:00 We went down to Hereford today to visit Heather and Farmer Phil at the Wiggly Wigglers farm. After a cup of tea ( but no cake ) and a chat we decided to go for a wander around the farm and fields.As we approached the first field we saw No 9 and her calf. Her calf, who is also known as No 9 was having a drink. Waiting at the gate were Jam and Toast
, Heather and Phil's chocolate Labradors.They seemed to know where we were going and bounded off up the track . Jam being the younger of the two , was full of energy and soon had a foot long tongue. The dogs really enjoyed themselves and what a great life it must be to live in such a place and have the freedom to go wherever they want whenever they want. And it's not bad for the humans either.After another cup of tea , we got onto the subject of Bokashi Buckets which are dotted around the buildings on the farm. We had seen the buckets in the catalogue and wondered if they would allow us to re-use more of our kitchen waste rather than just t
The Gonks Have Arrived....Goldfinch Update 2007-05-01 11:09:00 How can such a beautiful bird start off by looking like a Gonk?Checking on the nest this morning I could see that the mother was off the nest and at least two Gonks had moved in. I will keep trying to get a better picture but the wind and the tree aren't co-operating , so keep checking back. Read more:Update
Two Weeks On 2007-04-29 23:16:00 Thing are starting to happen!!!!The peas that were sown are now starting to sprout, the potatoes in the sacks are just showing their heads. Having never grown potatoes in bags before we are not sure when to add extra soil. Can anybody let us know.Despite attacks from the SLUG special forces the rest of the veggies are doing quite nicely. How do you deal with your slugs???We have just sown some parsnips ,turnips and leeks as a follow on crop. One of Granville Reeves Besoms ready for action in the garden. If you would like one of these brooms you can contact Granville on 07967 708947. Read more:Two Weeks
, Weeks
If You Went Down To The Woods Today...... 2007-04-29 22:20:00 Today the woodland experience took place at Burnt Cottage Coppice at the foot of the Wrekin. Of course the main attraction was Big Jeff but he was supported by Granville Reeves , who is a Woods
man and Andy Grundy the projects officer from Heartwoods who took people on guided walks and explained about woodland management. But just as importantly provided tea and a delicious soup Granville was demonstrating the art of making Besoms or more commonly known as "Witches Brooms". It was fascinating to watch Granville use natural woodland materials , traditional tools and skills to create an object that is both functional and environmentally friendly. Through out the day lots of local people came to take part in the event and enjoy being in the woods on a beautiful Spring day. Two of the people who came were Janice and George from Brosley.Tom , who is 93 , also came along and spent some time talking to Phil about the horses he used to work on the Wrekin when he was no more than a boy in the 19 Read more:Today
What's In Your Garden 2007-04-29 21:45:00 While sat out in the garden yesterday I thought I would have a look at what else was enjoying the Spring sunshine.As you might be aware I quite like insects and this little guy was the first thing I saw. I wasn't to sure what is was, so out came my book on British insects. Even with the book I still wasn't sure but I am settling with the Red Assassin Bug.The next insect was sitting on the back of a fox glove leaf and was tucking into an aphid, it is a 10 Spot LadybirdTo my great surprise and pleasure I then saw a Newt resting on some weed in the pond. I have had the pond for about five years and I have never seen newts in there before. Once again I went back to one of my books to see which type it was. I am still not sure , as it is either a Smooth Newt or a Palmate Newt. So if any readers know which one it is and if I have got the Red Assassin Bug right please let me know.I'm also interested to know what is in your back garden around the world!!!!! Read more:Garden
Who Needs Springwatch!!! 2007-04-28 13:23:00 Frankie over at Veg Plot has a Bird Cam Box which a pair of Great Tits have taken up residence, you can see snippets of the female caring for her six eggs. Read more:Needs
It Could Be Eight....Goldfinch Update 2007-04-27 18:06:00 I was watching the Goldfinch a short while ago and I noticed that she had something in her beak so I presume she must have been feeding. At this point she flew off again and I was able to see into her nest. Looking at the eggs I would now guess that there are at least eight in there. However my wife thinks that there are only five. I think that it is eight because looking at the pattern of the eggs around the central one, I think that there are three eggs in the part of the nest I can't see ...What do you think??? While the nest was empty one of the parents came to watch over the nest, I wasn't sure which one it was . It didn't go onto the eggs at any time and just appeared to be keeping watch.When the other parent returned it became clear that it was the male keeping watch , as the returning parent went straight onto the nest. Then the male started feeding the female , it looked like it was seed that had been regurgitated.I wonder how long it will be before the eggs hatch as it has Read more:Eight
, Update
All Aboard The Skylark 2007-04-24 16:57:00 One of the sounds of Spring has to be the beautiful song of the Skylark . We are lucky enough to have a site not far from our house where they breed. I decided to go and see if I could get some photographs of them, without disturbing them.It was quite hard to see them on the ground as they are so well camouflaged and I spent a lot of time just watching and waiting to see if I could spot them. As I wasn't having much luck with this method I decided the easiest way was to wait for one that was displaying above me to land and get as close as I could . I eventually managed to get a few photographs and you can see how well they blend in.It always amazes me that in nature the one that has a lovely song is quite often plain looking .
A week on 2007-04-22 16:39:00 A week on and not a lot appears to have changed. The slug war is being fought each night and the threat of large choppers and the frogs from the garden pond seems to be keeping them under control. Only one of the broccoli plants has been attacked but it is still hanging in there.We have added some potatoes, which we are trying in the white bags and some more onions in the coloured truggs. These can be moved around the garden to follow the sun or to just move them out of the way if we need the space. The female Goldfinch has pretty much been on her nest all week, only coming off now and again to feed. It is getting a little difficult to get a clear view now as the leaves are growing. For the past few years I have been feeding the birds out in the front of my house with sunflower hearts and niger seed from Wiggly Wigglers . The Goldfinches really love these and consume them at a great rate on knots. So far we have counted about four pairs who feed regularly. This could be why one has nes
Meet Big Jeff 2007-04-21 15:24:00 Jeff is eighteen hands and three inches of Clydesdale power. He is eight years old and weights over a tonne. He belongs to Phil and Lindsay who run The Heavy Horse Experience based in Shropshire. Jeff was at Burnt Cottage Coppice, at the foot of the Wrekin on Friday to run through and familiarise himself with the surroundings in preparation for the Woodland Festival that is being held there on Sunday 29th April. I had been asked to go along and take some photographs by Shropshire Wildlife TrustJeff is one of several heavy horses used by Phil and Lindsay to carry out environmentally sensitive work in woodland areas, when it makes economic sense. They are used to remove felled wood , causing minimal damage to the woodland. This is called "snigging" which is an old Woodman's term.Jeff and big Bob, one of the other horses , also carry out film work and weddings.On an environmental theme heavy horses could be used in the doorstep re-cycling process, as they are ideal for repetitive tasks a
Wellies are optional !! 2007-04-18 12:27:00 When we thought about the idea of the veggie garden we put some thought into how we were going to water it, especially with a long hot Summer forecast.At about the same time we received the latest Wiggly Wigglers catalogue, while looking through we found the ideal solution, The Drought Buster . I tried it out this morning and it is really easy. I had to attach an extra bit of hose onto the end , for it to reach the water butt, using the connector that is all ready attached.You don't have to wear wellies or stand in the bath to do it , but I like to wear my wellies whenever I can.After I gave the pump a few squeezes gravity took over and the water began to flow. After about five minutes the bath was empty and the water butt was half full. It just goes to show you how much water you use in a bath.I am going to leave the water to settle for a day or two before I water the veggies with it.We just hope that we don't get bubble bath flavoured carrots.We can see how useful the drought buste
Goldfinch Update 2007-04-17 20:48:00 Over the last few days the female Goldfinch has been sitting on the eggs, she leaves the nest occasionally to feed, but soon returns.As you can see there are at least three eggs.I will update you in a few days so keep checking in to see how things are going. Read more:Update
Definitely a B day 2007-04-17 19:44:00 It was going to Be one of those days when a letter of the alphabet stands out.Today was going to Be the letter B.I decided to visit Hope Valley one of Shropshire Wildlife Trust's reserves just outside of Minsterly , Shropshire .Off I started and one of the first things that struck me was the number of queen Bumble Bees there were looking for nesting sites, they were everywhere. This queen had just come out of a hole and was cleaning herself. The Bluebells had also started to come into flower, what a Beautiful site they make, one that I can never tire of.A little further into the reserve I came across this Blossom, the way the sun was catching it caught my eye. As I have said before , I love this time of the year and who can Blame me when you see Blossom like this.I had walked to the top of the reserve and took a well earned rest, luckily enough there was a bench I could sit on . I enjoyed my cuppa looking over the valley to the Stiperstones.I continued to wander and I was returning d
My other passion 2007-04-15 11:14:00 Life is busy at the moment, as well as the vegetable patch I have several photographic projects on the go.One of these is photographing anything and everything at the reserves run byShropshire Wildlife Trust, which includes such exciting things as piles and piles of badger poo . The pictures will form part of an educational resource pack that will be available to schools and other organisations.This has an added bonus because Spring is my favourite time of the year, I love all the fresh growth of the trees and plants , the humming of insects and the singing of birds. Yesterday I heard the singing of Skylarks for the first time this year, come on the Cuckoos!!!If you would like to see more of my photographs you can visitmy web site .
The end of the day 2007-04-14 23:19:00 Bright and early this morning I got to work. The bed is only quite small 10ft 6in X 6ft and was full of flowers and shrubs. I relocated some of the plants in the rest of the garden, but for the ones I couldn't I shared with one of my neighbours.After several hours of hot sweaty work the bed was cleared, turned over, hoed and ready to start planting up with vegetables.
The selected bed for the vegetable patch 2007-04-14 22:42:00 It all started on Friday the 13th April 2007. My wife had the idea of creating a vegetable patch in our small back garden. All I could think of was how unlucky for me as I would be doing most of the initial work.The garden is a genuinely small back garden measuring 16ft X 40ft and is made up of 4 identically sized beds. One bed has a pond in it which is surrounded by wild flowers while the remaining three contain a mixture of trees,shrubs and plants.We selected this particular bed because we think that it's position , in part shade and sun will suit vegetable growing. We will only find out if we made the right choice as the year progresses.
Miracles Will Happen !!!!! 2007-05-14 19:24:00 After yesterdays rain we decided to go for a walk around an area we had not been before but had been told it is a little jewel of a place.The place is old colliery mound just outside Oakengates . What is special about this place is that the mound is full of wildflowers, such as Birdsfoot Trefoil , Red Clover ,Vetch and Yellow Rattle. All of these are important food plants for many butterflies and other insects. What made the trip that bit more special was the fact that our daughter said that she wanted to come. Well after both of us got up off the floor, after falling down with surprise, off we went.This just shows that MIRACLES do happen and often at the most surprising times.......One of the first butterflies we saw was the Green Hairstreak sitting on yellow rattle. I have only seen this butterfly once before two years ago, but within the space of a couple of weeks I have seen it twice. It is such a tiny beautiful butterfly, the colour is just amazing and it changes as it moves aroun
A Month And A Day On....The Veggie Patch 2007-05-14 12:14:00 Well we asked for rain ... and boy did we get it. It never stopped all day and was really heavy so I was unable to get any photographs.I can now say that all the water butts are full, the pond has never been so full even the tadpoles have got armbands on and the garden is well and truly soaked.We even had to move the veggies that are in truggs into the garage as we were concerned that they would get waterlogged. The potatoes in the sacks are doing really well and almost everyday we are topping the bags up with soil. We have added a few more truggs to the collection and put Peppers, Aubergines and cucumbers into them, just for a bit more variety. I took this picture this morning to try and show you how wet everything is and how everything has been pushed over by the wind, I understand the combination of soaked ground and wind is not good for veggies so I hope everything will be o.k.We have also added Sweetcorn around the edges of the plot to try and maximise what we are growing. The tom Read more:Month
, Patch
, Veggie
What I Saw Today 2007-05-12 18:31:00 While out walking today not far from my home I saw two things that I had not seen before. The first one , I have been able to identify as a Dingy Skipper, it is the second new Skipper I have seen in the last few days, the other being the Grizzled Skipper in the Wyre Forest . The second one, caught my eye as the sun was shining behind the caterpillar and made the hairs stand out.This is the one I cannot identify, I initially thought it might be the caterpillar of the Burnet moth, it has quite similar markings but it's not hairy.If there is anyone out there who can identify the caterpillar please let me know..... NEWS FLASH.....I know what it is now, its the caterpillar of a Six-Spot Burnet moth. They are the daytime flying black moths with red spots. (added 13th May 07 at 6.00pm) Read more:Today
Forget-Me-Not !!!!! 2007-05-17 11:23:00 Forget-me-not are one of my favourite Spring flowers, they provide a much needed splash of vivid blue after a dreary Winter.One of the things that also fascinates me is how plants get their names. Most seem to be medicinal but not the Forget-me-not. The story goes......One day in medieval Germany, a knight and his lady were strolling along a river bank. The knight bent down to pick a bunch of flowers for her and, overcome by the weight of his armour, fell into the river. As he was drowning he threw the posy to his beloved and cried: Vergisz mein nicht ! - "forget-me-not !"From that romantic , somewhat tragic and doubtless legendary moment, the plant was known in Germany as the forget-me-not. It was associated with true love, and in the Middle Ages the blue flower was worn to ensure that a sweetheart stayed faithful.The tradition took hold in France, where the plant was called ne m'oubliez pas, 'do not forget me'; and aimez-moi, 'love me'.Then in 1802, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote
Bokashi Bucket....Update 2007-05-16 12:42:00 We have had the Bokashi
Bucket for two weeks so it is still early days yet but we are finding it extremely easy to use and are noticing how much less is going into the waste bin.This is important, but could become even more important if your local council decides to charge you by the weight of your household rubbish, as has been suggested by the present government. It is a good idea to start thinking of this now, so if it does happen , it would not be so much of a problem . We keep our Bokashi bin in a cupboard next to the kitchen sink so that it is easy to add your waste and is out of the way. The blue bucket contains the active bran which is the key to this composting system. We add our waste daily as it is important that the bucket is not being open and closed all of the time because air need to be kept out as much as possible to allow the active bran to work efficiently. After adding the food waste cover it with a sprinkling of bran and compress it down to reduce the amount of air Read more:Update
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