Butterfly in the garage

Im not sure what plant I bunged it on, looks like a lily! But I think its a rhododendron

I would have thought that the garage would have been a rather sterile environment devoid of bugs and creepy crawlies, but I have been proved wrong.  Earlier this week on a watering visit to my cucumbers I discovered - to my absolute horror - a humungous spider sitting in my washing up bowl full of pots.  I would say in size it rivalled a small mouse with long solidly built legs and an enormous bottom.

Isn't he glorious? With his lovely curly proboscis and antennae

Normally Im quite happy to help a spider out, and by out I mean the window, but when they get over a certain size I am really not keen.  And so I have just left her there, sitting in my bowl, and as long as she doesn't try and run up my arm or something, this situation suits me fine.  I also discovered one of those mini slugs happily sliding his way through my second batch of incredibles.  This plant is clearly even more tasty than peppers to the slug, but really did think the seedlings would be relatively safe until I got them outside.

He had lovely speckled undersides to his wings, the only part I properly saw as he was hiding his true colours

More interestingly a couple of weeks ago I found this beauty hanging around on the edge of a pot.  I can only imagine it snuck in when the garage door was open somewhen and became trapped.  Maybe it was looking for a spot to lay its eggs, in which case my seedlings are not it.  Either way I helped the little guy outside.  Rather amicably he hopped aboard a stick when I profered it and put up little fight.  Im not sure where butterfly's are happiest sitting, I imagine something like a buddleia, but I haven't got one of those so instead he had to go on one of the bushes.  I think it might have been a green-veined white butterfly, which is pretty common across the UK, but I am no expert.

I did think he had really veiny wings, which makes sense if he is what I
think he might be

Im not sure it was exactly happy as it wasn't keen to fly off, so I imagine it had been in the garage for a while.  It was beautiful though and an opportunity to see one up close.  He has a lovely curly proboscis and a beautiful pale green underside to his wings .  He didn't really open them very wide so I couldn't get a picture of his full design, but it was a lovely treat to see him in all his glory.

*spider update* after sitting in my washing up bowl for well over a week, on my visit to the garage today I discovered the spider had gone.  Im now a little afraid to go in there, it might get me.  Its a serious concern.

Visiting Kew Gardens - peacocks, fish and a cheeky lizard

I went to Kew expecting weird and wonderful plants, and I got them.  What I wasn't expecting was the menagerie of livestock also hanging about there.  The first critter I came across was in the Palm House. I was wandering about when I came across a little girl peering through an iron grate in the floor, trying to take a picture.  I could see something green down there and naturally assumed it was a plant growing in the bowls of the greenhouse.  Instead, when I bent down for a peak I found this:

A lizard a metre or so beneath the floor of Kew, gently toasting on a pipe

This cheeky little lizard was happily warming itself on one of the heated pipes beneath the floor.  I presume he lives down there, eating insects and whatnot buzzing around the greenhouse.  Its probably a very nice life, but how he got in there I don't know.  He is either the official Palm House pet, or was snuck in by somebody trying to get rid of one.  Either was, its seems a nice life.

That's not the last of the Palm House's surprises.  The very last thing you would expect is also beneath the floor: an aquarium.  Between this and the lizard there is virtually more going on beneath the greenhouse than there is in it!  I believe the point of the aquarium is for the plants, I point lost on the mother who looked in one of the tanks and said "there's nothing in this one, what am I meant to be looking at?" The great big plant waving around, was my curt response.  There was some life about though, and the upside down jelly fish were one of my favourites.  These animals spend most of their times sitting on what is essentially their 'heads', gently pulsating with their tentacles floating in the water.  An odd sight, but if it works for them.

Sailors Eyeball Algae, bizarre but beautiful stuff

My favourite tank, and clearly others as well seeing as I had to elbow a space to see it, was the tank with the cucumber and sailors eyes.  Yes im still talking marine life.  How beautiful are these sailors eyeball algae?  They consist of one huge green cell, but they look and gleam like little glass balls.  They really were a sight, covering all the rock surfaces in the tank.  The other joy amongst the algae were the clown cucumbers.  Looking like they are wearing brightly coloured jumpsuits these creatures are poisonous, but have a fail safe method of getting rid of predators.  They give it a few of its internal organs in the hope it will go away.  It regrows them, but it still seems an odd plan.

The clown cucumber

In the Princess of Wales conservatory there are more fish.  I particularly liked these two fish because they were both dappled with gold.  Im not sure how that is possible for a live animal to be gold, but this gorgeous blue fish definitely is.  This piranha is less attractive, having one of the most miserable faces I have ever seen, but it was very glittery!

Miserable as sin at the front, glittery like a disco at the back.  This piranha has it all

This fish is just beautiful

The last animal treat on my visit was this guy.  Now I know male peacocks like to show off, but this one took the biscuit.  Originally it was hiding behind a bush but the moment I whipped my camera out he strolled out and stood right in front of me posing for all he was worth.  That bird has no shame. But I will give him his dues, he is a good looker.

He's a good looking bird this peacock, but one hell of a poser

I think he knew he was having his photograph taken, shame he didn't put his tail
out though

So that is it for my Kew posts, I had a great time in the gardens, and although I was there for the plants the animals were some of the highlights.  I know I normally blog about plants, but the odd animal thrown in here or there doesn't hurt, but back to plants from now on.

A sunny walk with a Robin

A camellia.  A little dog-eared but still beautiful.  I just love that crown of yellow stamen balls of pollen

Last weekend somebody put a plug in the rain and stoked up the fires to produce a beautiful day, cleaving its way unexpectedly through the endless misery that has been the British winter so far.  When you hear that the weather in the UK is bad, they aren't lying.  Misery.  Three solid months of mornings when you wake up and look out the window and think 'eugh'.  Needless to say on this one glorious day I was out of that door like a shot, no second invitation needed.  I planted a few seeds and then set out for a little walk round my nearest National Trust property Wakehurst Place.

Seed heads in the light 

While it felt like Spring was in the air, it most certainly hadn't sprung as the trees were bare and the scenery a tad bleak.  Nice, but bare.  Even still the golden sun warmed the cockles of my little heart, and I managed to get a picture of this little guy!

What a breast.  Very impressive

Isn't he gorgeous?!  I spotted him in the middle of a bush hopping about and immediately whipped out my camera for a snap.  Almost as if in response to me stuffing my camera in the bush he sat nice and still, giving me the perfect photo opportunity.  Only the camera wouldn't focus and the panic was creeping in as the inevitable moment that he got bored drew nearer, and still it wouldn't focus.  But at the last moment I got him in all his glory!

Imagine this heading towards you and you don't have any bread to give them...

There were a fair few birds about actually.  Down by the bottom lake people were being accosted by flocks of ducks that powered across the water like mini speed boats towards any likely suspect who might have a pocket full of bread.  I did enjoy watching a pack of 25 ducks like a little pack of billed bullies muddling around a lady's legs.  She was stuck like an island surrounded by a sea of webbed feet and feathers.

There were of course a few flowers here and there, including this crazy number.  This is a Hamamelis, or a witch hazel in lay-man terms.  I just love the way this plant flowers.  Middle of winter, bare branches and then these luminous yellow explosions like zizzy legged spiders clinging to the branches. I love anything that doesn't flower in a too ordered way. untidy is good in my book.

I thought these were rather pretty as well.  There is a whole field of crocus right next to the entrance that doesn't appeal to me particularly, but these were covering a bank above a pond on either side of a set of stairs.  With the light in the distance I thought they looked as pretty as a picture.  It is lovely being able to put up pictures of bright colours like purple, rather than onions and soil for months.

Colour! 

I will definitely be returning to Wakehurst before long as it has such great spring plants that mainly aren't out yet, but this little taste of Spring was a welcome glimpse of the end of this misery.