After the snow and frost: mice can read.
By seaburngirl
13 comments
Like most of the country we had the snow last weekend, a good 4" and then on Thursday we had yet more. We hadnt even lost the last stuff.
The snow was followed by a very cold snap too. The greenhouse max/min thermometer recorded an overnight low of -10 Celsius and during yesterday the car temp recorded the low spot as -7. During the day it did warm up to -2.
Today I was delighted to see all the evidence of a thaw.
Plants emerging from the ice and snow look well. The iris photos are taken 2 hours apart.
The first 2 are of Harmony and the other 2 are Purple Gem.
We often get asked about if the snow will damage emerging plants and I know that snow makes an insulating blanket. This next photo shows the air pocket created by the living flower Iris Kathrine Hodgkin. Air is a good insulator so the flower is safe.
Now did you know mice can read?
Did you know they have gourmet tastes?
Before Christmas I bought several different varieties of crocus. Some Pickwick, Joan of Arc and some Ard Shenk.
Well the little rotters have been in the greenhouse having a feast. Not the more common Pickwick but the other more expensive ones. Grrr
Then just as the light was fading along came a heavy plump pigeon. He stepped onto the ice and it barely supported his weight and his feet got wet.
He had a long drink then flew off to his lady love. Good job the light went as he was getting rather amourous.
Hope the worst of the winter is now over and the garden can fully coe back to life.
- 12 Feb, 2012
- 14 likes
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Comments
Can't believe all the snow - seems to be all in southern UK. I was in Highlands over the weekend and even the Cairngorms were lacking snow. Mice seem to be a problem this year - they have eaten my Fritillary bulbs, but only half!
12 Feb, 2012
Lovely pics Sbg,your plants are looking good..lots going on in your garden. ..you have fussy eaters & a pigeon playing ball..lol
12 Feb, 2012
would you believe how fast those irises came into flower amazing in this weather, mine are still hiding ...
My mice have found the containers of bird grain in the garage 50 lb containers very strong plastic with good fitting lids they have chewed large sections from round the lid to get in , little blighters !
12 Feb, 2012
Lovely to see all your plants poking through SBG, we have the flippin snow too, but like yours its thawing at last.
You could have one of our kestrels for your mice, bit of a terretorial thing going on here, last week two of them landed on the grass beside me while I was gardening,fighting, never seen anything like it, ended with the smaller bird cowering in the hedge hiding, then yesterday one landed on my bird bath ripping apart something that appeared to be a mouse, today a pair of blackbirds fighting just escaped with their lives as one landed on the grass just a few second too late, followed closely by the other kestrel who wasn't too happy that this smaller bird was in his domain again, so more fighting.
Amy the mice did the same thing in our garage except with mouse poison, stupid creatures had hidden it all under the carpet in the garage, obviously not realising they were poisoning themselves in the process.
12 Feb, 2012
lovely sbg, plants are amazing... so is the wildlife but can be an awful nuisance.....I wonder if the chilli flake deterrent works on mice?
13 Feb, 2012
Sounds like a war zone in your garden Kathy :o( silly mice ! you will be sweeping bodies up next ~ we put a trap on top of the food bin in our garage last night and caught one ( poor little thing ) . ...........
13 Feb, 2012
the pigeon id a bit dim as he was in full view of the female sparrowhawk that regulalry hunts through the garden.
This little fellow is a wood mouse rather than the house mouse. part of me doesnt want to do it any harm but i wish it would eat other thinks instead.
13 Feb, 2012
Nice to see things coming to sight through the thaw.
Strange that the mice went for the more expensive crocuses lol
13 Feb, 2012
on Bilbo's blog she says chilli works on squirrels so may be worth a try
13 Feb, 2012
I no longer keep any bulbs in my bottom greenhouse as I`ve lost so many in the past, I have tried all things and also have 3 cats and 2 dogs but the little beggars live under our shed and dig up into the greenhouse, my cats sit for hours near there hoping, lol.
Nearly all our snow has gone now and its surprising how many more bulbs I could see popping up today, must keep an eye open for my aconites, I always get excited when I see some yellow on my raised bed...
13 Feb, 2012
Great blog love the pictures showing the Iris's emerging, a pity about your Crocus though but at least the mice enjoyed them! my gardens still under snow but a thaw as set today so fingers crossed I may have something to photograph tomorrow;0)
13 Feb, 2012
It is astounding just how fast some plants do grow! They are not the silent unmoving objects we often mistake them for it's just that their life is lived at a slower rhythm to our hectic, fast paced lives of nowadays. Our great-grandparents had more time to see the things around them than we do today.
I love the "time-lapse" series of photos you have used with these lovely Irises breaking through the snow! :-))
15 Feb, 2012
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You need a pussycat in the greenhouse. Its horrid when something eats your bulbs. Those aconites really cheered me up
12 Feb, 2012