Little spider in her Flower Palace

Clever photo, never seen that spider in the UK

Is that a colour changer?

I've seen one every season since we came here..always in the same garden. Don't know for sure, M... might be. I need to look her up on the spider site. My fave is the large orb weaver. black, yellow and white and quite large. The legs extended like that is a display she wasn't happy having a camera shoved in her face! Papparazzi!

Fascinating creatures, but not for the arachnophobics which fortunately I am not. Becoming slugnophobic this year instead ?

aww... just mentioned some remedies on the other page.. hope you find one that works for you. You mentioned that you wanted to attract birds and animals... who do you know who loves slugs?... any hedgehogs where you are? I imagine chickens and ducks would eat them? frogs? (your soon to be pond) toads? (what would you think of building Toad Hall?) ..an overturned broken flower pot might serve. underplantings...like mosses or creeping ground cover or herbs? we'll find a way of dealing with them...

Unfortunately no hedgehogs here..yet, but I do get a pheasant for daily visits and am secretly thinking about some chickens.

ahhh... pheasants... beautiful birds. chooks? funny..I was thinking the same thing. then you have to worry about weasels and hawks.

Always a pay off isn't there, but at least I'd get the pleasure of watching my chooks and eating my own eggs.

I'm off to check out a homesteading page that I found on Fb... I seem to remember a "raising chickens" tutorial. If I can find it I'll copy and paste it for you... but only if you want it, of course.

Thanks ?

http://www.backwoodshome.com/chickens/
one site of many... I'm sure you've done...or are doing...your own research. some of the sites I've seen are a hoot! ...some are business... will follow your progress with interest! <3