Noticing Nature Blog

A shout-out to the members of Sandwich Community Shed based at the Jubilee Centre in Jubilee Road, Sandwich. There's a presence there on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 0930. The members work on their own projects but, to raise funds, they make all manner of useful things for the garden and sell them for very reasonable prices. They'll make things to order. I asked for two sparrow colony nest boxes and I'm extremely pleased with the results, sparrow flats and sparrow terra

More fabulous flowers from around Staple. Clockwise from top left: Non-native, garden escape Yellow-flowered Strawberry (Potentilla indica), beautiful apple blossom in the local orchard, Lady's Smock/Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratense) in the damp meadows at Great Pedding and gorgeous, short-turf specialist Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) in the churchyard.

A glorious umbel (collection of flowers) of Wayfaring-tree (Viburnum lantana). They are all over at the moment and the Miller Woodland Trust site in Chalkpit Lane, near the Black Pig, is a good place to see them. Wayfaring-tree

A further selection of plants from around the area. Clockwise from top left: Wild Garlic (a new plant for the churchyard list), some lovely drifts of Cowslips in the churchyard, Wild Strawberry in Goodnestone Park and Early Purple Orchid rosette again in Goodnestone Park gardens.

The grounds of Goodnestone Park are superbly managed, with wildlife very much in mind. One point of interest, particularly at this time of the year, is the bee-bank around a veteran Cedar tree close to the walled garden. Yesterday there was a lot going on. There were Yellow-legged mining bees (Andrena flavipes) going about their business whilst a number of parasites were going about theirs. Both Dark-edged and Dotted bee flies were laying eggs at the entrances to the mining b

Helen in Barnsole has created a superb wildlife garden. The log-piles and toad abodes have attracted a healthy population of amphibians. The reward? This beautiful and rather impressive Grass Snake sunning itself on one of the many log habitats. Grass Snake