There were such beautiful still waters in the distance along Perthshire's River Almond at Cromwell Park woods last week. So still that its hard to tell where the trees end and reflections begin.
The river was in spate after the heavy rains and as it flowed over the rocks on the weir it became a roaring torrent. In the autumn time this weir will become a Salmon leap as the fish jump up the weir to spawn further upstream.
I look a short video (about 30 secs long) to let you hear the sound of the waters and see the Lade that runs along side the river. You can read all about my walk along this part of the river and lade and see all the wild flowers and the foraging for the "fruits of the forest" here.
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
My "Complete Guide to British Wildflowers" says that the scented mayweed does not grow in Scotland but maybe its growing here in Perthshire though I'm not sure yet!
Even Linnaeus had problems distingushing one plant from the other - at first he thought that the scented and scentless were the same genera.
I suppose to really be sure that I have the right ID I need to take one of those yellow cones and slice it down the middle - if its hollow inside then I will be sure that its a Scented Mayweed - if not I'll need to make a new title for this post - Anthemis arvensis/ Scentless Mayweed!
It was a very windy day when this macro photograph was taken. If you have some free time you can read about the nature trail that I found this plant on here.
Edit to add
I went back to the spot today where this wild flower is growing - split one of the cones and its not hollow inside - even though it does have a scent! so my wildflower book is correct and this is the Scentless Mayweed after all.
Have a Great Thursday! Ha en bra torsdag Ha en god torsdag
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
Would you like to join us for a little nature trail today and see some of our beautiful Perthshire wildflowers and wildlife? We're going to walk along the 2 lades today both fed from our local River Almond. ( If you don't know what a lade is just click here). Firstly let me set the scene - The river is in spate after the heavy rains so it is flowing fiercely, one of the lades is just inches from breaching its banks as it rushes down towards the old mill. The grey heron can be seen briefly flying along the path in front of you, and there is a chorus of birdsong in the trees above you.
We don't have drifts of prairie flowers like those in North America but we do have drifts of oxeye daisies, hedgerows with scrambling honeysuckle, tall spires of pink rosebay willowherb, hedge bindweed, meadowsweet and plenty of thistles.
The Scene only 30 secs long
Can you see the little lade path between the 2 water courses?
Its quite dark along part of the path with ferns on one side of the lade bank and on path beside you the remains of the bluebell foliage are still present. (This is the same path that branches off up into Bluebell Wood which you might remember looked spectacular a few months ago as a Sea of Blue).
Cromwell Park Lade
As the canopy of trees lessens and the rays of sunshine glint through the leafy branches the wildflowers start to greet you with nearly every step you take.
3D Wildflower Gallery
I've so many wildflowers to show you that I'm using my gallery again. Hope you enjoy the glide - just don't scroll too fast with that blue button! For anyone who has not used one of these before just click on which ever photo you want to have a closer look at - it takes a few seconds for the photo to come into focus - its probably easier to just click on the arrows bottom right to make the gallery full screen.
Fruits of the Forest
Not only do you see a rich tapestry of wildflowers but there is a bounty of wild fruits in the hedgerows, red currants, blackcurrants, alpine strawberries, raspberries and some apples are forming. The blackberry brambles are still in flower and the rose hips are still green and swelling.
You stop to pick some wild strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants, while red currant juice drips all over your fingertips as you slide the juicy berries off the stems.
Large White feeding from rosebay willowherb
Butterflies flutter along the path as if leading the way while buzzards soar above calling to their young with their distinctive cry.
Ringlet
There is the sound of grasshoppers rasping in the blades of grass. While down by the river bank mallard ducks gather along side you en masse looking to see if you have some tasty treats in your pocket for them.
Rasping Grasshopper
I hope you enjoyed your nature trail today as much as we did around our local river. Now you can join us for a little cuppa and rest your feet. Who's for tea or coffee?
If you would like to see more wildflowers today from other parts of the world please visit Gail for her Wildflowers Wednesday meme.
PS......... We've had a little holiday break here with the family so I'm hoping to get back into a "blogging routine" again and catch up with you all soon this week.
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"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse."Romans 1:20
I eventually found this little fella after searching through the blades of grass - he was on the fence! I don't think I could call him cute but certainly noisy with his rasp.
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
We've had monsoon type weather here this week in Scotland so rather than taking photos of raindrops on flowers I decided to finally try out what my blogging friend Maia shared a few weeks ago about capturing reflections refractions of flowers in raindrops. You can read how she was able to achieve this here
A Reflection from a Marguerite in my garden
All I used was a tripod and alot of patience. You can still try this out even when it hasn't been raining - just gently spray water unto the blooms until the water droplets are large enough to photograph.
Edit to add
Thanks to Michael for clarifying that this type of photography is called Refraction Photography.
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"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
Matthew 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
More squatters have come and gone around here over the holiday time only this time its the little Dunnock family I'm introducing you to. Its not a little bird that you will see frequently at the bird feeders in the UK. It feeds on insects like beetles, spiders and ants though it may be seen picking up the crumbs under the feeding table during the winter months............ as long as there is no Robin in the vicinity!
There was no fancy real estate for this little bird compared to our blackbirds last month. A little shelf 2 feet above the ground and out in the open was where Mama Dunnock decided to build her nest. Not the best choice in my opinion as it was right beside a busy footpath while nearby there was a lovely beech hedge but Mama decided otherwise. Dunnocks know best!
detail of the nest
We placed a wooden crate over the the nest to keep her shaded and protected from predators and the slots in the wood were big enough for her to come and go as she pleased. After a few days we saw that she had laid 5 little blue eggs no more than an inch in size.
Then they started to hatch! I thought there was a little leaf in the nest blowing in the breeze and I got quite a shock when I realised that it was a newly hatched egg. At this point I left the nest very quickly. Its that little skin coloured ball in between the other eggs.
A few days later I went back and saw that all the little babies had hatched and hair was starting to grow on their little pink bodies. You can click on the photo to see in greater detail.
Cute little clutch!
I've no more photos of the little family as they all fledged too quick for me during the holidays unlike the blackbird family who I was able to photograph every day from egg to fledgling stage. If you missed that very popular post you can view it here.
Finally I do have another nest to show you - its empty now and I just wish I had walked down by the river more often during the last month to see the young ones. Its a Grey Heron nest and its huge and even I could fit into it!
Just look at all that weaving of those big thick twigs! click photo to enlarge
Its a masterpiece.
I'm linking this to Wildlife on Wednesday today over at Bush Bernie's Garden Blog down in North Queensland Australia as every Wednesday she features some wonderful wildlife that visits her garden.
What interesting things in nature have you found recently while out and about?
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"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse."Romans 1:20
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
I don't know what the little black bug is behind the greenfly but nearly every single flower in the garden and even the wildflowers in my locality all have these little black bugs in them.
Uh oh where to next!
For more wonderful macros today please visit Macro Monday.
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
Do you want to attract more bees to your garden? well this is the plant for you.
Cerinthe major purpurascens (Blue Honeywort) has beautiful blue nodding flowers and blueish green thick leaves with a hint of white spotting. Its leaves are waxy to touch and the bees adore the sweet nectar from its blooms.
Once it was even believed that the bees extracted their beeswax for their hives from this plant.
As the summer progresses more of the bracts that surround the flower will turn from a greenish blue to a more intense purple colour finally turning to russet brown as autumn approaches.
This plant needs protection over the winter months if you are growing it in the UK especially in northerly districts.
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
I thought I would share one of the photo's from my archive today for Weekend Reflections.
Its from Perthshire's River Almond after the big freeze in 2010. You can see some of the blocks of ice still in water along with some of the reflections from the bare tree branches.
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
Over the years I've realised that having a garden that is visually pleasing throughout the year isn't all about blooms. Leaves and grasses of all sorts of colours, textures and even aromas play an important role aswell hence the name of my blog 'leavesnblooms'. Some of the plants do have flowers but I think their foliage plays a bigger part in my garden rather than their blooms and give continued interest throughout the year.
Pulmonaria, Hakonechloa aurea and Heuchera Silver Scrolls in my back garden
"Beauty without Bloom" is a copyrighted post, written for my nature blog called leavesnbloom by Rosie in Perthshire, Scotland.
Today I'm going to highlight just a few from my garden.
From the delicate texture of the Japanese Painted Fern (Athryium niponicum pictum).
Japanese Painted Fern
to the aromatic foliage of the Salvia tricolour and the feathery soft leaves of Artemisia arboretum (Southernwood). Even though these 2 can produce flowers I grow them for their leaves as they look good grown beside scented dianthus and a lovely contrast to the Sea Holly and pink Sedum Iceplant.
Salvia tricolour
Artemisia arboretum
Then there's the wispy Foeniculum vulgare Bronze Fennel, the dark and mysterious Physocarpus diablo (Ninebark) along with the unrestrained Humlus lupus (Golden Hop). All capturing the atmosphere in one area of the garden. Daylilies, asters and rubeckia grow amongst these 3 foliage plants. The Golden Hop flowers are quite insignificant, the Physocarpus ones have now finished and the fennel blooms will have opened by the end of the month.
Golden Hop, Bronze Fennel and Physocarpus diablo
Then there's dusky drama from the Sedum Purple Emperor leaves and stems. This will flower for me very soon but I think its foliage just like the heuchera leaves are great foils for other plants in the garden.
Sedum Purple Emperor with Pulmonaria and Hakonechloa Aurea in the background
Sedum Purple Emperor against a backdrop of Santolina Chamaecyparissus
and finally Santolina Lemon Fizz that looks as if there are tiny little air bubbles trapped within its thread like leaves. This does have little button flowers which I think are an added bonus to the wonderful golden foliage.
Santolina Lemon Fizz
These all have beauty without bloom in my garden just now.
Phormium Jester and Origanium vulgare aurea
What beauty without bloom do you have in your garden today?
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse."Romans 1:20
These blooms are like little star bursts in the garden. I love these little flowers at this time of year and I think that its only through macro photography that you begin to appreciate their intricate patterns and shape to their blooms. They are the flowers from my Sempervivums (Houseleeks) or as some call them Hens and Chicks. It is the only frost resistant succulent I can grow in this garden. This plant has taken a couple of years reach flowering stage and once it has finished flowering the main rosette will die in the centre leaving the offsets to take its place.
Would you like to see where these grow?
Lost label varieties
Here they are in home sweet home in one of my scree beds where its south facing and hot......... sometimes! I really like the shape of their leaves and their ability to cope under very harsh conditions. They are low maintenance plants which increase in number every year. They store water in those thick fleshy leaves so they can cope well in arid conditions. In the photo above you can see the little offsets (baby rosettes) which once they are a little bit bigger can be transplanted into pots of their own.
Winning rosettes don't you agree?
This is my submission to Macro flowers Saturday #19. Thank you Maia for hosting this meme. You can view other participants by clicking on the button below.
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
We get few spectacular sunset views from my scottish garden but sometimes on rare occasions the sky turns firey and ever so dramatic like it did this week.
This is my first ever submission to Skywatch and what a special one to link with as its their 3rd birthday.
Thanks to SkyWatch Team, Klaus, Sandy,Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
I love taking photos of the fauna in my garden. Here is the 2nd macro this week of a little bombus bee - you can view the first one from this week here "Hold on tight". The bees simply adore the flowers on my silver scrolls heuchera in the garden. They simply just can't get enough of that sweet sweet nectar and keep coming back for more and more............ a heucheraholic for sure!
"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
"July Garden Bloggers Bloom Day at leavesnbloom"is a copyrighted post, written for my nature blog called leavesnbloom by Rosie in Perthshire, Scotland.
On the 15th of each month its Garden Bloggers Bloom Day (GBBD) all across the world and I'm looking forward to sharing some of the blooms from my garden plants with you all. There may be a hosepipe ban in parts of NW England and SW Scotland but its certainly not in force in Perthshire which I am most thankful for. We've had very unsettled weather along with strong winds during the first 2 weeks of the school summer holidays. Family are visiting this week from NIreland and its just a pity that there are days when its cold with constant rainfall as the little ones just want to play outdoors and explore the beautiful countryside.
My planted bicycle is starting to bloom with oestospermums, verbena and impatiens
Anyway despite the dreek weather there have been interludes of sunshine so I have been able to take some photographs. So many photographs infact that if I was to show them all here the page would never load. But thats not going to be a problem today. I am going to use the photowall that I use on my photoblog to show them to you.
Photowall Navigation
If you've never used one of these before glide along (you'll see what I mean by "glide" when you click the blue button at the bottom of the video screen with your mouse, and toggle from left to right!) or else click on each photo individually and use the arrow keys to the left and right of the video screen - it just takes a few seconds to load each photo clearly then click the photo again to make it go back into the wall. If you want to see a particular one enlarged click on the writing below the photo where it says to "view in black" which will open a new window. Have fun gliding and enjoy seeing whats in bloom in my garden.
You can click on the arrows to left of the facebook, twitter icons to view the photowall full screen
I've not included all the lilies that are in bloom in the garden just now - you can see Netty's Pride and her colourful companions by clicking here and here.
The only sunflower in my garden! The Great Tits love the sunflower hearts inside.
For more GBBD posts this month make sure you visit Carol over at May Dreams Gardens.
Edit to add
My dear friend April has asked for me to clarify a few things on this post.
Hosepipe Ban: Its illegal to use a hose in your district if there is one of these in force - it means that there is a drought in your locality. Hard to believe there's a drought in parts of Britain but its due to low rainfall during the winter. Fines are issued if you are caught using one to water your garden or even wash the car or washing your patio etc with a powerhose. Only watering cans are allowed.
Dreek weather: Horrible weather, dull and wet with low visibility when you can't see the beautiful mountain scenery that surrounds us. Last night the rain was falling at one stage 3" per hour thankfully that didn't last but we ended up with 2" in total.
Disclaimer: All the information on leavesnbloom is based on my own experience, training and reading. This blog gives no guarantee that what works or doesn't work for me will work the same way for you.
