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Nature
Switched On
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introduction
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2009 April 9 to 12, Thursday to Sunday More rainfall: about 90 litres for
the last two weeks. It filled up the two ponds and the water
deposit. This time they also receiv
The problem repeated itself at each new inflow of rainwater so I will have to find some method of avoiding these air pockets in the first stretch of the hose.
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Impressive skies these days with thunder and the occasional
hailstorm. |
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Blanca at the filled up pond. Saturday 19:08 |
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Steady rainwater flow from the 20mm hose into the upper pond. Saturday 18:35 |
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The natterjack toads (Epidalea calamita) love all this water and the full moon must also have inspired them because there were large gatherings of these cracker jacks in the ponds at night. Here a recording of the extraordinary noise they produced on Thursday night; in the background the chirping of the crickets.
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| Full moon coming up in the south-east at 21:19 on Thursday. |
This macho showed its bravery
creeping next to Blanca's boot and starting to yell. Thursday 21:22 |
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Apart from the Lady orchid (Orchis purpurea) another orchid has expanded its territory over the terrain. It is the Early spider orchid (Ophrys sphegodes) which is showing its early flowers on many new places. My theory is that these orchids are prospering because of the absence of grazing by sheep. The leaves of many orchids are quite attractive for these herbivores, whose herds graze regularly in the neighbourhood and, in the past, also on the terrain I suppose.
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In contrast with the leaves of Orchis purpurea,
many leaves of Ophrys sphegodes show nibbles of
some smaller herbivore. Photograph taken on 3 April 15:47 |
Detail of the flowers, with the
spider mark on the labellum. Photograph taken on 3 April 15:48 |
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Tower Mustard (Arabis glabra) has started building its 'towers' all over the terrain. Few plants show such an affinity for the vertical.
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Arabis glabra
sprouting in the shade on the upper terrace, with the towering stems of last year. Photograph taken on 5 April 12:56. |
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Another victim of the blanket of death,
which is the role a packet of straw can play when it isolates the
upper parts of plants from the warm earth. This time it is the
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Frozen olive tree on the upper terrace. Looking north-west. Saturday 12:56 |
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I think there should be a healthy strain of laziness in everybody's character. Laziness can be the gravity that brings things down to simplicity and tranparency. For the seat on this photo only two screws were used to fix the wooden covering firmly to the iron structure.
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Two garden seats improvised with
junk iron and wood. Sunday 13:58 |
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introduction
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