Slow Slowworm

This morning I came across what I thought was a casualty, laying in the heavy dewed grass the body of a Slowworm (Anguis fragilis).

It's eyes were closed and it seemed fairly rigid when I picked it up. But I think the warmth from my hands made an immediate difference as a slight movement came from the wiry body. The tail was blunt at the end and looked as if it had lost it from an attack.

The wound seemed to be fairly fresh. So it would seem that something had tried to make a meal of it and ended with just the end of the tail. In Slowworms this is their one defensive action they can take, to shed the end of the tail, allowing escape from the attacker.

I think in this case somehow it had got itself in the cold dewy grass and had chilled. So I held it for some minutes hoping the heat from my hands would help it become more lively.

The cold rigidity slowly gave way until it felt like a bronze bracelet that had life. I love the feeling of them in my hands, they seem to emanate such intense life in a small body.

I took it over to the place where it would be at it's safest, the compost heap.

   Quietly with a lovely grace to the movement it slid from my hand and pushed it's way into the heap and safety once more.

There is some kind of fragile beauty to these small legless lizards that makes me feel great affection for them. They do no harm but much good, eating many of the dreaded small white slugs that do so much damage in the garden.

Their favourite place is within compost heaps, so whenever you break a heap open don't use a spade to slice down that they cannot escape from, use a fork as there is very little chance of spearing the body of a Slowworm.

There's more info on Slowworms here at Wikipedia

Autumn Colours

Around the garden we have quite a collection of Sedum's (Sedum spectabile), gradually the are coming out in flower and as they do they attract masses of insect life to them.

Bees of all types busily wander over the flowers, while Butterflies flit from head to head gently sipping the nectar.

Dahlia's are still blooming quite vigorously, giving loads of colour in the garden. Regularly dead heading is needed to keep them going right up into October or until the first frost touches them.

  The taller dark leaved variety is one of the Bishops children and is fronted by a single flowered and double flowered dwarf dahlia. All are easily started from seed around March. They are terrific for Bumble bees giving them a really good source of food well into Autumn to keep them going over winter.

No garden should be without some kind of berry bearing shrub to supply birds with free food that will help them fatten up for Winter.

Pyracantha or Firethorn can be easily trained against a wall to make an eye catching display. Earlier in the year it is covered with masses of pure white flowers, then the berries create a marvelous display. Birds love the berries and will strip them in a few weeks as they ripen.

Another shrub to grow is Leycesteria formosa or Himalayan honeysuckle, Pheasant berry, flowering nutmeg. It grows to just over 6 feet in height and has lovely hanging purple racemes that end in small white flowers. Eventually the pollinated flower forms a purple-black berry.

The berry itself is loved by numerous birds especially the Blackbird and as the name suggests  Pheasants. The berries are fairly sweet in themselves and taste a little bit like sickly toffee, some say like treacle. If you don't believe me try a taste, myself I'm not too keen on the flavour.

  Leycesteria formosa

Soft succulent berries forming under the purple bracts.