Hey everyone it’s Dara here! Welcome to my little offering for 30 Days Wild – Day 8! We’re having so much fun and it has been amazing to see my brother sister, mum and dad getting involved too. The weather has been a constant sheet of torrential rain, but I braved it for a few moments to see how our unmown garden is getting along! Today, I’m going to…
We haven’t touched the grass in quite some time and it has been mazing to see the coming and going of Cuckoo Flower and Dandelion, to be replaced with Buttercups, Self-Heal, White Clover and Orchid! We are passionate about having a wild garden as it’s one of the best things you can do to help wildlife in your garden – the second, to provide a small pond (even a bucket pond like ours – we now have Dragon Fly Larvae, Water Snails and Water Beetles too!).
Clover, the beginnings of Self-Heal and Dandelion in seed.
When I look at my garden I feel that is so pure, there is no masking, muzzling and tidiness. It is left to nature, to be claimed by all sorts of insects, even in the rain!
As the rain battered upon me, my eye caught the familiar upright shape of a Common Spotted Orchid. Not just one but two! This is such a great reward for our untamed patch of green!
I love our garden, who could not feel joy at a sea of yellow cheeriness, even in heavy rain.
Buttercup, Daisy and Willow Herb. Little bursts of interest are popping up everywhere.
Please keep a little bit of unmown wildness and see what comes of it, you never know what might appear, the sun appeared just as I finished!
Thanks for reading
Dara
5 Responses
Well done that family! Mow your patch late to increase the Common Spotted. I usually mow in late August or early September and have increased them from one to over 25. Also don’t worry in the early years if stock decreases. I found it comes back strongly the year after. Good luck!
Wow that’s brilliant! I think there are some more coming up. Thank you! ☺️
Thank you for a cheerful blog, Dara, despite the rain! Nature’s an example to us to ‘get on with it’ no matter what the weather!I’m guilty of not going into the garden yesterday, ( just looked out of the window!) so you’ve inspired me to get out there today.
Hi Mairi. Hope you managed to get out? Did you see anything nice? ☺️
I managed to stop the man who comes to tidy the house garden (at the behest of the landlord) mowing my daisies and trefoil… he looked very confused, but I showed him all the bees nectaring and he seemed a bit less so then. So many people do not make the direct connection between mowing the flowers away and our insects going hungry. Wonderful you have orchids! 🙂