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2012 April 29 to May 15  (News)

Overcast skies alternate regularly with clear ones and with maximum temperatures oscillating around 20ºC, the weather of the last few weeks has been quite agreeable; a bit more rain would have made it perfect.

The vegetation in the zone is perhaps in the heyday of flowering and productivity. I did the first haymaking of the year at the beginning of May.

They have only 6cm soil available on the roof but Iris germanica seems to feel very at (or better: on) home.
6 May 11:04

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It is extremely difficult to capture the beauty of the field with a camera lens. It is simply too subtle and complex. So bear in mind that the following pictures give only a remote idea of the actual splendour of the vegetation.
It is clear that the haymaking regime has got a strong visual impact, partly because of the favourable influence on species variety in the detriment of the more aggressive and bulky species and partly because of the removal of old material, giving a fresh green start for all species.

Photographing birds offers another kind of challenge and it's not my speciality but his Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla) was irresistible. It had made a nest in the northern straw bale wall of our compost toilet building and when we approach it, it sits cheekily just in front of us at less than a metre distance and the next moment it hides behind the almond tree trunk. Everything of course to attract our attention away from the nest.

Much more slowly in its movements is this Ocellated lizard (Timon lepidus), except when it attacks its prey, in this case a Dragonfly we fed. To put things straight: the insect was already heavily handicapped (and so was the lizard by the way).

The Short-toed treecreeper playing hide and seek on an almond trunk.
14 May 18:57
 

The Treecreeper has landed in front of its nest, under the roof on the northern wall of the straw bale toilet.
14 May 18:54

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In the upper pond I had noticed for some time the nibbled stems of the Juncus effusus which proliferates there, as if some herbivore, like a rabbit, had grazed on them. On closer inspection I detected many caterpillars perfectly camouflaged against the stems and eating comfortably from the top downwards. On the internet I identified this rush-eating larva as a Dolerus species (probably ferrugatus), from which a kind of saw-fly develops.

Another noteworthy event is the massive 'landing' of dragonfly larvae especially on the Yellow flag stems. At the moment when the photo on the right was taken, I counted at least 50  larvae and on subsequent days many others followed. In former years this exodus was never so massive and this year's result might be caused by the fact that it was the first time that I didn't let this pond dry up last summer.

Close-up of the Dolerus caterpillar on Juncus.
14 May 10:26

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Four species were added to the Floristic catalogue:

- Epilobium parviflorum (Smallflower Hairy Willowherb): last year already present but I thought it wouldn't make it on the hot and dry south side of the greenhouse. It was probably introduced with the purchase of the Virginia creeper in the same spot.

-Scandix pecten-veneris (Shepherdsneedle, Venus' Comb): also spotted in former years and its continuation perhaps equally doubtful: it is a crop weed on relatively humid arable land.

-Galium aparine (Cleavers, Clivers, Goosegrass): introduced together with the salvaged bricks which I used to make some stairs in November 2010.

-Polygala nicaeensis (Nice Milkwort): has always been present but is noticeably expanding on the lowest terrace:

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Around the house year after year there is a specific vegetation developing. Important ambient conditions are of course the trampling, but also the lack of rainfall near the house because of the protruding roof, on the other hand the occasional emptying of a saucepan full of water and last but not least the mowing of the vegetation.

Nothing was planted or sown there and the bare soil area nearest the house is just compacted clay soil that offers by now almost the aspect of concrete.

This 'aerial' photo, taken while holding a tripod in the air, gives a nice impression of the lighter green area around the house  of Hordeum murinum speckled with the  white flowers of Anthemis arvensis.
15 May 18:06

Anthemis arvensis needs some trampling to flower so joyfully.
6 May 12:51

Not that sturdy but still growing especially near the house with a number of plants: Rumex conglomeratus
8 May 16:46

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The following is an exhibition of some quite characteristic species and/or circumstances for this time of the year:

The Coprinus fungus may 'flower' on straw in the (half) shade any time of the year after some rainfall.
6 May 10:29

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The following two flowers are supposed to be of the same species: Tragopogon porrifolius. The first one is clearly the subspecies australis but the latter one seems to be an intermediate form approaching the subspecies porrifolius, formerly much cultivated under the name Salsify.

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Little construction works in the last half year, but some re-construction was done of the straw bale wall which forms a kind of fence against the noise and smell of the neighbouring dogs.
In short: I wouldn't recommend this kind of straw bale wall. It becomes quite unstable when the upper bales (which are not protected by the plastic sheet underneath) get wetter and heavier and start to deteriorate. I only manage to maintain the wall with frequent repairs (when the wind has collapsed part of it), adding more supporting poles each time. In the process I thought of alternatives and perhaps its worthwhile trying to fix the wall with iron rods of about 250cm, driven straight through the bales and into the ground, for example every metre. The rods  get  nicely out of sight and the wall should be very stable.

My idea was that planted and spontaneous shrubs and trees would progressively substitute the wall but this is going slower than expected. Nevertheless the bales under the plastic sheet maintain a reasonable good condition and could survive perhaps another four years.

introduction
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