Allotments 4 All

Bumble bee yesterday..possible ladybird. (It was flying.)

:)

Have seen Brimstones for 2 days now. DP

Lots of bumblebees in my garden and trillions of ants !

:o

A legion of ants in my compost heap.  I saw my first bumble bee today along with a butterfly and millions of frog spawn. 

Is it illegal to take frog spawn from the wild and put it in your garden pond?

quinny,

Not sure about that one but I would not have thought so!
Frogs are not an endangered species yet .. Good luck with it !  Unfortunately I do not have a pond, so no frogs I am afraid.  Oh I do miss a big garden ! :'(

Yesterday and today I've seen, bumble bee, ladybirds, a yellow butterfly (don't know what it's called), frogs and the first dreaded mosquito.

Eh! This is good stuff.....Come-on everybody...what have you seen for the first time this year?

 :)Hi everyone,
                        like Jesseveve,I've seen my first bees,ladybirds,frogs and,yesterday,a yellow butterfly,which I can't recall ever seeing before.   
      All The Best-Marky

lots of bees have been out the weekend in my garden in Bristol and butterfly's and the dreaded red Lillie beetles have been about so early for then even had some pond skaters out in the pond not surprised have been such a lovely weekend really sunny and very warn

This weekend I have seen my first bumblebee, 2 butterflies and my first bluebottle

I've got quite a few ladybirds  :)  Robin is nesting in my ivy.  I tried again today to get a photo but no luck.

First bees spotted here in Scotland yesterday. Pondskaters in the pond along with frogs and newts. Alas the dreaded midges are also out in force.

Noticed bees, ladybirds, flutterbies as well as ants - I can't recall up to the weekend last seeing ants this year.

I've seen lots of ladybirds, a few bumblebees and several brimstones, it's been wonderful over the last few days.  Went on the BBC Springwatch website to add my sightings and was amazed how the graphs had risen this weekend.  It was obviously the time when they all came out of hibernation.

i saw a ladybird while at the allotment
he was walking on my pepsi bottle

Saw first Bumblebee on 14 March. First ladybird on 16th (once I'd seen one, I saw loads!) along with first butterfly (probably Red Admiral).

First frog/toad seen in pond on 19th. Then another one. Then the two, ahem, together. Also found toad spawn in pond that day. As well as seeing first ever newt in pond.

The good - frog spawn in the pond at last

The bad - ants everywhere

The ugly - caterpillars munching my tulips!

Saw lots of big cuddly bumble bees over the weekend.  Ladybirds everywhere last week and again over the weekend.  Have had toads and frogs in the garden now for at least 3 weeks.  Squished 2 snails today at the allotment  >:(, listened to the woodpeckers taptaptapping and chucked lots of large white grubs (no idea what they would have become) to a pair of robins.

Bumbly bee yesterday  :D Also bluebottle in the house >:(

And there was a lacewing in the kitchen last night. I showed it to Mr Aqui and told him not to squash it. I'm hoping it'll munch the whitefly off my lettuces on the windowsill.

Lots of big bumblebees over the weekend   :) and some bluebottles  :( sadly no ladybugs or butterflies yet but enough frog spawn to shake a stick at and they're still at it  :o If anyone in this part of the world wants some they are quite welcome to it as the fish want the pond back  ;D

I had my first sighting in my garden of the Pied Wagtail today.  He usually leaves during Autumn and returns about now, so pleased to see them back again.  I am also enjoying the Lapwings display in the field, something I look forward to each Spring.

I've got pheasants all over the place making a right racket.  I think they're all escapees from a local shoot and are hiding in my garden where they know they'll be safe.  They were stuffing themselves over the winter with windfalls I left for them so they were probably too fat to fly off.  When it's windy they get themselves under the ivy on the wall and take cover but on top of the wall (odd that)

Cleaned the excess weed from the big pond weekend before last, and when I looked in on Saturday, there was a huge mass of spawn in the cleared area.

I've seen the odd bumble bee on sunny days since January, but now they're out and about with a vengance.  The ladybirds are coming out of hibernation and we're starting to see moths again.

Loads of birds around (I'll have to do a list one day), and I'm beginning to suspect the rooks have moved into the area.

I've seen one bumblebee, a few ladybirds but no moths or butterflies yet.  Eyes peeled.  Birds are checking out the facilities for nesting and I've got a robin busy nest building as I type this post.  :)

I noticed that I had frogspawn in my allotment pond on 7 March this year - several days ahead of the spawn which appeared in the back garden. And the allotment is a more exposed site. BTW, common frogs aren't protected although certain toads are. If anyone sees what looks like toad spawn - thin strips of eggs - contact your local wildlife trust or English Nature.

I've noticed that over the past week there have been a few moths trying to headbutt their way through the living-room window at night... Have also seen some *massive* bumble bees, a couple of butterflies (not sure which type - they had orangey brown markings), honey bees and ladybirds at the weekend.

j

i have seen 2 squashed frogs  :'(

5 frogs - and lots of frog spawn in my pond on 17th March.

Ladybird and bumble bee at the weekend.

Hopefully lots more this weekend as well ... will be in the lottie / garden  :)

ooh also I saw a bright yellow butterfly - same type as marky maybe ? Not sure what it was ....

probably a brimstone butterfly-seen a few here as well.

I saw four newts in my allotment pond this week. What a thrill. First time I've seen them and only the second time I've seen them in the wild. Definitely Smooth Newts - marked with leopard spot colourings on the underneath. Not big enough for Greater Crested Newts, which are protected. Still...a definite thrill. Anyone got newts?

Digging the borders today, I came across some thick grey/green type caterpilars... No idea what they are, maybe butterflies to be so put them back in the borders.

Will have to wait and see if they are friend or foe  ::) ???

Saw - and heard - a song thrush belting his little heart out from the top of a willow tree this morning.  Sad that we don't see anything like enough of them these days.

All best - Gavin

Today, two robins arrived to feed and then proceded to fight each other. 

Both with thingyedup (initially typed in "c o c k e d  up" but keeps coming back to "thingyedup" ?? tails and showing off their redbreasts to each other.  Fought in mid air for a while but there was no winner.

I was too fascinated to think of getting my camera.
:D

We have newts on our allotment in Sowerby Bridge but they are not the protected ones?
We also have loads of toads(sounds good) and I nearly speared one with my fork the other day. I did not know they went under the soil. I picked it up and put it near the pond on the next allotment. I saw loads last week, I think the word has got round that I don't hurt them.
Rosemary

I forgot to say that I have had lots of bumble bees that look to be searching for something. Could it be a home, and if so does anybody know how to make one for them please?
Rosemary

Rose Mary

I did not know frogs live in the soil  ???  Thought they lived nearby ponds (on the surface).

Bumblebees are probably looking for food and there is not too much around for the time being.  I do not believe they need "housing" as such.
:D

Marianne
These are toads all knobbly. I lifted a bit of old carpet today to tidy a place ready for my new cold frames and a toad had made a little hole in the soil under the carpet just big enough for him to fit in. I put the carpet back smartly I can wait a while longer for my cold frames. I don't know how he will get out as the carpet is really heavy.
Rosemary

Oh dear rosemary !  Would you not take the carpet off him and maybe put some light material over the hole, like grass cuttings or such ??  Just he wants to get out and is hampered, as you said, by the carpet !?   :o  I know frogs breathe through their skin and also through gills (?) but he will need to come out of that hole !  :o

My Ayman dug a 16 spot ladybird out of chickweed bed this afternoon - funny-looking little so-and-so.  Moment of mild panic - is it?   ------------------------- or what is it?

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/R157632.HTM

All best - Gavin

First red squirrel of the year, yesterday...  :)

Usually have a pair around from mid-late december, maybe the beech mast was better than usual last autumn.  This adult looked in reasonable body condition, and was a very welcome visitor to the bird table.

Butterflies in the conservatory over the weekend.  They do it every year, masses of them!  :-\

We have newts, sand lizards, slow worms and adders on our allotment.  Just love finding them.

Hedgerows are all in bloom here also.

lovely day here in bonny scotland & i saw my first ladybird this morning~oh joy ;D

Dug up our first slow worm of the season.  Lively little slithery thing he was too!

I have just found out why we have so many toads on our site. ;D Apparently when the Halifax Building Society(as it was then) built its new computer site just on the road from us, they disturbed thousands of these toads, and sensible little things made their way to our allotments.
I can remember it being in the local paper and people stood watch all night at this time of year making sure they did not get run over as they were crossing a busy road to get to their breeding place.
The old timers on this site remember lifting cold frame lids and seeing hundreds of them taking refuge.
Rosemary