Echium pininana is a stunning sight when it is in full flower. Endemic to the Canary Islands, it makes a stout rosette of coarse, hairy leaves, before sending up a flower spike the following year. The first picture was taken at Woolwich Dockyard early in May, while I took the second one in Plumstead at the end of July. There are still a few flowers attracting bees, and if you … [Read more...]
Wild about Cherries
Cherries are one of my favourite fruits. Luckily for me, there is a stand of wild cherries not too far from where I live. When the weather is right, they provide an abundant crop of small sour-sweet cherries. Two years ago, when it was spectacularly dry, the promising yield all dropped to the ground long before the fruit reached maturity. Last year, I collected a reasonable … [Read more...]
A Staggering Sight
Last week in our Plumstead garden site, one of the residents made a guest appearance, to wit a female stag beetle which must have popped out from the raised beds for a short perambulation before tucking itself away in a safe nook between the sleepers. Even without the splendid 'antlers' of the male, which are its jaws, a female stag beetle is still an impressive … [Read more...]
Purple Flower Power
Even before the recent rain finally arrived, there were still several randomly self-seeded plants. Tucked away in apparently inhospitable situations valiantly flowering in the dry conditions, doing their bit for bio-diversity and cheering up anyone who likes and notices that sort of thing. I expect a few insects were grateful as well. With an increase in moisture, we might … [Read more...]
Walking with Dinosaurs
Walking with Dinosaurs was produced by the BBC in 1999. It was narrated by Kenneth Branagh, featuring state of the art CGI and original music. Naysayers criticised it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The warm, woody narration and the emotionally loaded musical accompaniment (for instance, the creatures that would evolve into mammals had a sympathetic soundtrack whereas the … [Read more...]