Late summer stars ...

thornless blackberries ripening

A few mornings this week have hinted at the coming of autumn in their coolness ... dampness ... mistiness; blackberries and elderberries are ripening; even the trees are feeling it with occasional leaves turning to shades of yellow and red. In the walled garden at least, we're trying to hang on to summer a little bit longer with all sorts of bright flowering herbaceous plants providing a colourful feast for human eyes, and nectar and pollen for a whole host of insects too.

Japanese anemones

The misleadingly named Japanese anemones (actually native to China) are one of the few herbaceous perennials that can keep their flowers coming right through till late autumn. Currently flowering in our herbaceous border they can be seen offering up their pale pink petals and ring of bright yellow stamens in a delicate display that belies their rather invasive tendencies.

Inula hookeri

Another star of our herbaceous border is the vivid yellow inula whose flowers seem to beautifully imitate the sun and are a magnet to bees.

Papaver comutatum

Neighbours to the inula are these tiny ladybird poppies who make up for their lack of stature with luminous crimson petals that each have a black spot at the base. If you look carefully, hoverflies can often be seen feeding in the soft bowls of their flowers.

Echinacea purpurea

Another particular haunt of bees and hoverflies is that wildflower native to North America, the purple coneflower. The three hoverflies caught feeding above are also known as Marmalade Flies (Episyrphus balteatus) and can often be seen in our gardens in July and August when they migrate over from continental Europe. They have a distinctive double black band on their abdomens.

Phacelia tanacetifolia

The 2 large beds of phacelia (see this post for more information) are also proving a huge hit with human and insect visitors alike.

Salvia viridis

It is outside the walled garden, at the top of the shrubbery walk, where the most asked about plant this week resides, and it is the humble annual clary sage. A member of the same family as the culinary herb, this sage has attractive large bracts in shades of pink, purple and white. It's a lovely annual for path and border edges providing colour right through to the end of September.

Sunflower "Little Leo"

Autumn may be snapping at the heels of summer, but here in the walled garden at Gibside there's still plenty of life and colour to be found, so why not come and see these stars of late summer for yourselves!

West Wood LWS survey Blog 3: A season’s passing (14 August 2013)

A short visit was made a few weeks ago to search for lesser skullcap, devil’s bit scabious and hairy brome. Two out of three wasn’t bad for half a day’s work - though admittedly we had some help. From time to time we come across a fellow naturalist wandering through the Gibside grounds – binoculars and notebook at the ready. The few words we have in passing often give a clue to his considerable knowledge and understanding of our local wildlife, and to his thoroughness of approach. He’s also good at spotting things that we have just walked by and failed to see. On this occasion, it was hairy brome – a grass that stands five feet tall – and the tiny green pin-cushion of an emerging devil’s bit scabious flower. He was pretty much convinced that we wouldn’t find lesser skullcap in West Wood.

Devil's Bit Scabious

Of course, we haven’t given up on finding lesser skullcap; it could still appear over the coming few weeks – but not today. And, though convinced earlier in the year that we had found the remnants of wood barley from the previous season, our search of the panhandle woods was also unsuccessful.

Small White Butterfly

Speckled Wood Butterfly

There were some worthwhile finds though. Immature robins and meadow pipits provide evidence of the presence of breeding birds, and purple loosestrife on a woodland trackside a lovely surprise.

Purple Loosestrife

Measured by the timing of school holidays, this is the height of summer. Indeed, there is still much colour and new growth on tracksides, field edges and stream banks, and ferns – mainly bracken, male fern and common buckler – densely cover the woodland floor. But there are many signs of change: yellowing leaves of the remains of wood anemone, a solitary flower on an extensive patch of yellow pimpernel, and short-lived heads of burdock turning to seed marking a season’s passing.

Hover Fly Approaching Common Hemp Nettle Flower

 

Steve Wootten & Phil Coyne

Making Hay While the Sun Shines

The recent hot, dry weather has seen Alistair, the estate farmer, hard at work cutting and baling the hay meadows at Gibside.  Some areas such as along roadsides and fencelines are not easily accessible to his machinery so are left uncut and the ranger team tidy these areas using strimmers. This grass has in past years been added to 'grass snake heaps' (piles of vegetation which heat up during decomposition creating an ideal environment for grass snakes to lay their eggs).  This year however we have saved some of the better quality grass for a trial at making our own 'hand-made bales'.  Our volunteer joiner Colin manufactured a bale maker from timber and plywood. This is a rectangular, open-topped box into which hay is fed, with hinged door at the front for removing the finished bale. Two string lines are put in place prior to loading with hay and a swinging, pivoting press mechanism compacts the hay before tying off and releasing the pressure.  

       

Ranger Phil collecting hay for baler

New volunteer Daniel loading hay into baler

Ranger Phil with finished bales

Bales loaded onto vehicle



West Wood LWS survey Blog 2: A well ticked list (18 July 2013)

For the most part the designated West Wood Local Wildlife Site is continuous, but it also takes in two isolated ponds in the Park Fields farmland. The one to the south is in open field and conveniently situated for fairly frequent visits on our way back at the end of the day. The more northerly one is close by but requires just that bit more of an effort to tempt us to put it off to the next time. This is July; our last visit was in April. Not surprisingly, we found lots of things that we hadn’t seen there before. Of great interest were two people - one a NT volunteer, the other a local small mammal enthusiast - checking traps set in the hope of finding water shrew. Instead, they captured five common shrews – two of them with little white ears and very cute.

Common Shrew

Some things are just puzzling. A comb of an accessible stretch of the Derwent riverside that comes within the LWS boundary produced some unusual plant discoveries. One was clearly wild celery, except its distinctive smell was not at all celery-like and it was growing on a river bank far from its favoured seaside habitat. Another was very familiar with its silver shaded leaves yet its name difficult to recall. We ceased trying when it dawned that it’s a frequent sight in many a suburban garden. We’re still puzzling over the celery though. Of course, many a garden plant finds its way into a river and its tributaries, but wild celery is quite unlike its domestic descendant in superficial appearance. And, of course, many an umbellifer looks remarkably like others of its family.

Last week two buzzards were making a lot of noise when we twice passed close to a known nest site thought abandoned. Are they back? Possibly, though there was no sign this week and, with so much leaf on the trees, the nest couldn’t be checked - or seen even.

In order to find some species on the list designating West Wood as a Local Wildlife Site, we have changed our strategy and for a few weeks are seeking specific plants where they have been previously recorded and/or in their most likely habitat. Some we can expect to locate without too much difficulty as the season progresses; some we are not so confident about. That may prove unfounded with a more targeted approach, but includes wood brome and lesser skullcap.

Narrow Buckler Fern

We have had some success with targeting though - finding climbing corydalis carpeting the woodland floor close to the upper farm track. Don’t know how it escaped our attention in the past. Wood millet is just about everywhere it should be, and dainty heath bedstraw has come into flower by tracksides and in woodland clearings. Narrow buckler fern has been found by a cascade in upper Leap Mill Burn – and possibly in other places. It’s a difficult plant to identify – not least because the books are a little unclear about some of its attributes.

Climbing Corydalis

Heath Bedstraw

We have just had another unsuccessful search for lesser skullcap, wood (or hairy) brome and wood barley, and there’s still devil’s bit scabious to wait for. Otherwise the boxes on our plant list are pretty well ticked.

 

Birdsfoot Trefoil

Steve Wootten & Phil Coyne

Summer fruits and flowers ...

Mid-July in Gibside's gardens and there's the sense that the growing season is reaching its peak. There are so many colours and scents, so many different moods and moments, so many fruits and flowers, that it's difficult to choose what's finest in all this grandeur. Here's just a taster of what's "hot" in our pleasure grounds this week.

The turf that was laid a few short weeks ago has had its first cut and it's difficult to believe this area was a muddy car park at the end of March. The weather is making things tricky though; scorching is affecting some areas and watering is still required to help combat this long dry spell. Nevertheless, we hope you agree, it's a huge improvement.

Elsewhere the vegetable plots in the walled garden are burgeoning with produce, some of which is already being harvested for use in our Potting Shed Cafe; rocket, mixed salad leaves, radish, and herbs are all picked on a daily basis to add that very local fresh touch to your lunch at Gibside.

The heat is quickly ripening soft fruits too: black and red currant, strawberry and raspberry plants are all full of fruit that is ready to be eaten. There are plenty of uses for all this bounty if you can resist eating it on the spot; from jams and jellies to pies, sauces and liqueurs. Why not come down and chat with our growers about what they're doing with theirs this year?

In our herbaceous border you'll find globe thistles just about to flower, their distinctive spherical heads are a mass of tiny blue stars that seem to fizz into life.

Many visistors are commenting on the bold red blooms of Lychnis chalcedonica too.

And a favourite that has been the source of many a conversation over the last few weeks has been the sweet william. Its sweet-shop scent takes me right back to my childhood, and it seems many visitors have been similarly transported. This allotment staple is a real old fashioned darling, the essence of nostalgia and due for a bit of a revival I hope.

Beyond the walled garden and roses are at last filling the shrubbery walk with their flowers and fragrance. Look out for the eternally popular Rosa mundi (aka Rosa gallica 'Versicolor') which appeared as a sport back around 1500 and has been beloved by gardeners ever since for its paint-splashed colouring and delicious perfume.

Further along, and much of the orangery planting is basking in this very un-British heat: diascias, mesembryanthemums, and osteospermums - all native to southern Africa - are showing off their vivid oranges and pinks. Adding to the display are the cooler, daintier blue-skied felicias, and the sun-yellow sharp-petalled gazanias.

Bees and butterflies are also loving the sunshine (see the small heath butterfly caught below enjoying the oregano), and who can blame them? There can be few better places to be on a summer's day than here in Gibside's gardens.

New Kids on the Block

During May female roe deer (does) seek out a quiet spot in which to give birth.  The young (kids), usually twins, are left hidden in thick cover for the first few weeks of life although the mother is usually not too far away and visits at regular intervals to attend to and suckle them.  Vulnerable at this age they have adapted to remain hidden from predators such as foxes by having virtually no scent and freezing motionless when one approaches relying on their spotted and dappled fur to remain hidden from sight. 



Young kids when alarmed drop on the spot and remain motionless





Close-up of above - note tongue sticking out



Occasionally a doe will choose to give birth in a hay meadow in which although the long grass gives plenty of cover it dosn't exactly provide good camouflage as seen in the picture below. An added danger is that the birthing period usually coincides with hay cutting time and many kids are killed during the process.



Kid 'hiding' in hay meadow


By now kids are growing stronger and are able to move around with the doe although they may still be left unattended for periods and can often be seen wandering and feeding alone.  As you walk around Gibside's woodland walks keep your eyes open and you may be lucky to spot some. 

West Wood LWS survey Blog 1: A slow start (13 June 2013)

It’s June and, not before time, there’s lots in flower. Much of what should have flowered early came late. Some of that still lingers here and there, now joined by splashes of yellow pimpernel, germander speedwell, red campion, buttercups, herb bennet, herb robert, bugle and other June flowers. Delicate pignut will soon be joined by its more substantial cousins – hogweed and angelica are in leaf and looking robust. Leaves are on the trees and the woodland floor is covered in greenery. Insect life doesn’t appear to be faring so well though: today we saw just two common carder and no other bees.

Back in the first week of April when it should have been spring, it seemed an everlasting winter. It promised then that maybe this was not to be the finest of years to be surveying and reviewing this Local Wildlife Site; but it is what it is.

Bare Banks of Leap Mill Burn

Frosted Leaves

Some flower was beginning to show: golden saxifrage here and there beside woodland streams and damp ditches; birch trees dangling catkins; dog’s mercury avoiding showy display; the reliable daisy. There were green leaves, but most was pale brown and dormant. Movement under the ice of a pond suggested some invertebrate presence, impossible to identify. Even the birds were quiet.

Dog's Mercury

In mid-March, the first of these sorties to survey the flora and fauna of West Wood Local Wildlife Site had revealed even fewer signs of spring, but it did give the recorders opportunity to wander through parts of Gibside’s West Wood not often visited and gain some impression of what it might hold.  A sad find was the remains of roe deer buck - hair, some skin, a front leg and collar bone - the left-overs of poachers, tidied-up perhaps by a fox. The buck had been a regular sighting for one of the rangers here, but hadn’t been seen since early January. It is widely reported that the roe deer population nationally has grown too much in recent years and that a cull is much needed. If that is so, then it should be strategically and humanely done, and maybe the poacher thinks so too and acts accordingly, but we cannot be sure without control and management.

Opposite Leaved Golden Saxifrage

After what seemed like months of winter weather, two days in mid-April gave us sunshine and the highest temperatures since September. It was feeling and beginning to look at bit more like spring, but still there were few plants in flower. Clearly it was going to be a while before the season would be back on track.

But by this time, some nest building going on - red kite sitting on a nest used last year, collections of twigs being assembled in trees to be kept an eye on, and buzzards had been seen again at an old nest site. By the second half of April, grey wagtails were nesting under the road bridge by the new car park, undeterred by the construction work going on around them – unlike a pair of dippers who had shared this stretch of Leap Mill Burn in the past but now, it was suspected, were migrating upstream. By mid-May this was confirmed with the finding of a nest with four warm eggs, soon to hatch into promptly ringed chicks.

Yellow Pimpernell

Bugle

Sadly, red kite activity around their previously used nest site area has ceased. It is possible that they have been driven away by people coming this way, but not many do. Perhaps they have been harassed once too often by crows.

Leap Mill Burn in June