Red Admiral and midges...........and it's October !!

[Toddy]

It's near the middle of October and I have red admirals flying in my garden
midges too unfortunately bitten again and full of anti-histamines.
I have strawberries and raspberries still flowering and fruiting, roses and clematis in full bloom (again), and it's going to be a heck of a shock when the first frosts strike.

Anyone else think the world's a bit out of synch ?

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Kepis]

oh yes it's all gone mad Toddy, i was picking Strawberries from the garden yesterday, im considerably further south than you so looking at the way things are going i'll still be picking them in February at this rate

 

[woodspirits]

yes mary, here in the midlands i still have bunches of roses in full bloom on my climbers!

 

[Ogri the trog]

Not just out-of-synch Mary, going positively loopy!

When I left for the Moot, I had nearly ripe blackberries on the brambles, and Elders not then flowered!

Earlier this week I picked a third crop of blackberries and the elder berries are not yet ripe, but I'm seeing a second crop of nettles and I swear I saw a jack-by-the-hedge plant as I drove to a friends yesterday. We have a bumper crop of damsons and apples, but only three pears.

The local farmers/soothsayers are predicting a real hum-dinger of a winter!

Its all going to heck in a handcart!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[21st century pict]

Yes I’am very chuffed Wed 12 Oct and a Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta basking in the sun on a fence post. N,E, Scotland.

 

[treadlightly]

Walking in the woods yesterday I saw a couple of what looked like Red Campion and they are supposed to end flowering in June. I also think that leaf fall seems slow this year, even the recent winds haven't brought as much down I would have expected.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Autumn is well underway here sadly... Which is unusual, as in the South we are normally last to get the sunshine. (I've had sunburn in November)

I think winter is going to arrive with a very sudden, sharp shock.

 

[Geoff Dann]

I also think that leaf fall seems slow this year, even the recent winds haven't brought as much down I would have expected.

The leaf fall isn't slow in Sussex. In a warm year, the leaves can stay on the trees until late November.

The poor old mushrooms don't know what the **** is going on though. High temperatures and almost no rain is not normal weather for October.

 

[dave53]

been watching the temps on my window between 13/15 degrees early mornings I've heard the word el nino raise its ugly head again but whatever it is its going to be a tough winter so be careful out there all of you regards dave:theyareon

 

[Robbi]

scare mongering the lot of ya ! it's gonna be so mild this year........global warming innit !

 

[Toddy]

I'll mind you of that prediction when I'm up to my situpon in snow and the cat's got her legs crossed 'cause she won't step out the door.



Cheers,
M

 

[drewdunnrespect]

all i no is i cant wait for the plaggy bag racing to comence when the snow arrive

 

[Toddy]

I bought a couple of those wee situpon skidoo things for £1 each at the start of Spring; every time someone goes up the loft I can see them eyeing them up
yeah, I can see them being fun

cheers,
M

 

[rik_uk3]

Blackberry's are fruiting still...they had stopped at one point.

 

[Harvestman]

I saw a Red Admiral and 2 common red darter dragonflies on Tuesday.

 

[21st century pict]

Just had a quick look through Richard Lewington, Pocket Guide to the Butterflies and the Red Admiral flight period goes all the way in to November so nothing to unusual there.
Didn’t see many peacocks this year though.
PS there has already been some snow up the hill must have been in the cairngorms sweet... but still very mild round the Moray Firth area.
Time to get the skidoo back out Toddy.

 

[locum76]

I saw a couple of red admirals in the clover field this week and the forecast is for 1 or 2 degrees celcius midweek next week. I'm glad to be heading south of the forth for a cushy office job soon. I'll be shedding a tear for the poor veg pickers plucking kale from the frost.

 

[Robbi]

i've got a couple of blue bottle flys in the garage today

 

[Harvestman]

3 more red admirals today, and being extremely territorial they were too! Lots of exciting butterfly dogfights.

 

[pango]

There were signs early on that things weren't right. I noticed wild goosgogs taking a second flowering in July which produced some hard green peas-like things. Some of the sloes in my area have gone from the jaded green/purple of a few weeks ago to an unwholesome looking brown. Some of the elder hasn't ripened and there's still the odd rasp still in flower. I was away for a couple of weeks and returned to find things much the same, the only change being that the trees look a bit more tired.
And it looks as though our first frost might just arrive during the week, Toddy.

And yet it's only four days ago that I was lounging in the shade and saw what I think was a purple emperor, and there were 4" long green and blue dragonflies helicoptering around the garden... can someone please lend me the fare back to Andalusia?

Pango.