I thought I’d do a quick ‘photo audit’ of what is in flower and fruit in my new garden at the moment and the answer is…not a lot!
Of course, that makes me very happy because I know I can make a huge difference in the years to come.
On the flower front, White Dead-nettles are having a late flush of flower.
Notice the leaf-mine in the big lower leaf, looking like a wiggly pale trail. I suspect this is an active mine, in which the larvae of a tiny leaf-mining fly is munching the narrow layer between the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf.
There is a bit of Feverfew.
And that’s it flower-wise!
On the fruit front, the Kiwi fruit are resolutely rock hard.
While the Tutsan berries don’t seem to be flavour of the month for wildlife.
But the thing that intrigued me was this: a red-berried Pyracantha heaving with berries.
Yet next to my driveway is an orange-berried Pyracantha that has almost been stripped bare by Blackbirds and Blackcaps. These were the last few berries I could find still on the large bush.
What do the birds know that we don’t?! The literature might suggest that, in general, red berries are taken before orange on all sorts of plants. But clearly in my garden there is something quite distasteful about the red-berried kind, even though they look perfectly ripe.
I’d love to hear your theories as to what might be putting the birds off. I will be watching with interest to see if and when the birds finally deign to eat them!
Lovely picture of Pyracantha! Pyracantha are great for colorful berries at this time of year, as well as being”. In my garden Pyracantha coccinea grows clambering up my house and I love it.
Wee update i have just watched 4 black birds (i usually have 2 at most) start to munch on my orange/red berries...even tho they are turning black?? oh well i'm glad something is eating them!
Perhaps the red berries are not fully ripe yet. Mine has been covered in berries for a few weeks with the birds taking very little notice. Two days ago I spotted a pair of Blackbirds starting to tuck in, today there s not a berry to be seen.
<p>I am delighted that you have posted a picture of you're Pyracantha bush, since i moved here i have always wondered what the "spikey bush" that i have in the garden is, well seeing you're picture and searching it i think i have the orange/red berried version of your Pyracantha. The birds around mine havn't touched it(or hardly anyways) i usually have to cut them off when the berries die, and put in the bin (for composting).</p>
<p>I have often wondered why they don't eat them, but i thought it might have been due to me always having mixed seeds in the fillers, home made fat balls hanging in the tree (pretty much every branch), bread crumbs on the tray, and peanuts in the hanger.</p>
<p> But i also donsn't seem to get alot of birds either, But i suppose this is due to not many people feeding, and i have just started feeding again since the summer, I get robins, blue tits, house sparrows (there new to my garden), Starlings, chaffinch (now and again)Carrion crows (had to stop feeding due to these guys as they just swung on the feeders and spilt whole feeders worth on the ground where nothing was picking them up, then i have a lot of weeds) Wood Pidgeon and black birds. I have previously had a sighting of a gold crest and a coal tit. </p>
<p>Would any of these eat these berries? I thought that they maybe poisonous and that is why no one was eating them? so thats why i put out more food for them. Maybe they are more bitter tasting than other berries?</p>
Our neighbour's pyracantha only seems to get taken after our cotoneaster has been stripped bare AND there has been a few frosts. Might need softening?