Flutterby Patch

An evening in June

On a warm June evening I love to visit the Kentmere valley and slowly amble my way up the narrow winding lane to the village.

Farmsteads and cottages nestle amongst the trees in the shadow of rugged Lakeland hills.

Warm evening sunshine bathes fields of golden buttercups and the only sound comes from distant birds soaring high above.

It takes about an hour to reach the head of the valley on foot but once I reach the post box I know village life is close by.

The air is cooler now, evening shadows are lengthening and I hear children playing in a nearby garden.
 

The sweet sound of a choir drifts from St Cuthbert's Church.

The churchyard is managed as a wildflower meadow which must surely be at its best in the month of June. I stop to admire its beauty and wonder how many brides have walked up this pretty pathway to make their vows.

'God's Acre' is the perfect name for this peaceful flower-filled place where villagers are laid to rest.

'I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills
from whence cometh my help' (Psalm 121)

Man and nature live happily side by side in Kentmere.

All too soon the air turns chill and I know it's time to head for home before darkness falls.

So back down the winding lane I go, past the clusters of sleepy cottages and fields of dozing sheep.

And in my head I keep a little picture of St Cuthbert's Church amid its sea of wild flowers nodding in the late evening sun.

Until next time,
Eli

P.S.  St Cuthbert's is a charming unpretentious little church. You can take a little look inside by clicking on this link. The pretty oil lamps that once lit the church still hang from the ancient ceiling but are now electrified and the colourful kneelers are stitched by local parishioners. Before you leave do please stop in the doorway to admire the view back down the lovely Kentmere valley.

Queen Anne's Lace

During May and June the English countryside effervesces with clouds of Queen Anne's lace; it's everywhere.

Such a wonderfully descriptive name!



 Hundreds of dainty flowers make up each flower head.

Without fail every year I tell myself I'd like to grow it in our garden. But its a prolific spreader and I know it would quickly take over. So each year I resist the temptation to scatter a few seeds.

Recently I found this magazine illustrating pretty pink varieties and of course had to buy it in order to read more. Needless to say I found temptation on every page.

For example.....imagine living in this country cottage fronted by a wild flower meadow awash with Queen Anne's lace. Wouldn't it be wonderful?

We'll never have our own wild flower meadow but do have a small patch of lawn that is left to grow a bit wild.

We have a sprawling sort of lawn that is fairly damp and gets cut throughout the season. About 15 years ago we discovered a couple of wild orchids growing there and they are slowly spreading. And so we now delay mowing the orchid area until they have died down in August. The longer grass on the right is where they grow and it is here that we have decided to create our 'little meadow'.

Here is one of the orchids, a 'heath spotted'.
 

In one of my garden books is this picture of a lovely 'managed' meadow that is part wild and part mown and that seems to me to be the perfect solution. A mown area for walking on and a pretty wild flower meadow area for bees and other insects to enjoy.

And so I have bought some seeds (English meadow mix) which I will scatter in the orchid area later in the season. Of course my little meadow won't look anything like the picture on the packet, nor will it resemble the beautifully managed meadow pictured in the book, but it will be fun to see what grows there and of course insects will love it. The seed mix doesn't contain any Queen Anne's lace which is perhaps just as well because it would probably take over.

I'll report back next year with a progress report!!

Until next time,
Eli

Thinking of bees

Yes, I know it's a bit late to be showing you pictures of apple blossom but it makes the prettiest picture. And just think of all those ripe rosy apples that will be ready for picking in late summer.

In spring our little orchard is always alive with the sound of busy bees working their way from flower to flower, but there could be troubled times ahead.

Honey bees around the world are suffering from a deadly virus that is eliminating thousands of colonies with the result that in some places fruit blossom is not getting fully pollinated. The worry is that if these busy little insects continue to disappear there could soon be an enormous shortage of fruit and veg worldwide.

Wild bumble bees do an excellent job pollinating our fruit blossom but when warm spring weather suddenly turns chill (which it frequently does in Britain) these fluffy little creatures become tired and lethargic and seem to give up the will to live. If a warm day suddenly turns cold and the sun disappears behind clouds I know I will find at least one solitary bumble bee sitting motionless on the driveway. Touch him and he won't fly away but simply raises his legs as if to say "keep away, I'm cold and tired"...... This is when I know it's time for action!

I put a pinch of sugar in a teaspoon.

Then I pour on 2 or 3 drops of warm water and mix well with my finger until all the grains of sugar are dissolved. (As an alternative to sugar you can use a tiny amount of honey)

Then its back to the sleepy bee with the restorative mixture. Just one drop placed right under his nose and the sweet smell attracts him immediately and he will sup it for several minutes.

Then, with his energy restored, he'll walk a short distance to get his bearings and fly straight back to work on his favourite flowers.

My dad, who was an amateur beekeeper, showed me how to help bees in this way when I was a child and I've always done it. Its my little way of repaying the tiny creatures that do so much for us.

Where would we be without them?

Until next time,
Eli