2020 Natural Life

D

Doon frae Troon

Ryder Cup Winner
Joined
Mar 5, 2012
Messages
19,654
Location
S W Scotland
Visit site
Out for a walk with my lovely wife today and we started noting what a strange year it has been on the nature front in our area.

Very poor apple crop
Very poor bramble/elderberry crop
Hardly any wasps or ants
Very small acorns
Our goldfish seem to be hibernating this summer in our pond/ thought the heron had got them at one stage.
Hot flowers, begonias/geraniums etc doing well
Masses of Butterflies even some hoverflies
Hardly any swallows/swifts or sparrows

Is nature trying to tell us something
 
On the first one, apple trees have been bursting in NE England this year. Every apple tree I walk past with our dog is bulging, it has been a bumper year. My wife has an allotment and raspberries and rhubarb have also gone very well.

Local weather, local differences.

I can't comment on the others, I don't notice them.
 
Doon frae Troon said:
Out for a walk with my lovely wife today and we started noting what a strange year it has been on the nature front in our area.

Very poor apple crop
Very poor bramble/elderberry crop
Hardly any wasps or ants
Very small acorns
Our goldfish seem to be hibernating this summer in our pond/ thought the heron had got them at one stage.
Hot flowers, begonias/geraniums etc doing well
Masses of Butterflies even some hoverflies
Hardly any swallows/swifts or sparrows

Is nature trying to tell us something
Click to expand...
The local fruit farms are absolutely bursting here, seems like a great year for them. Wasps are dieing off now but were all over the place recently drunk on fallen fruit.
Havent seen many sparrows for many years but the swifts have been swooping in the sky feasting on insects. Magpies seem to be real survivors these days although never see a hedgehog anymore.
 
Quite the opposite down here, had loads of apples and blackberries on the trees, mainly gone now but still loads of Acorns, Conkers, Chestnuts. Brilliant rosehips add a lovely splash of colour too. The woods around here seem in rude health.
 
The mad heat of August is now behind us, although we did hit 33* yesterday afternoon, and as a result the animals are starting to reappear. Geckos and lizards aplenty. The odd snake starting to appear, along with a few scorpions - mate got stung 3 times on his foot a couple of weeks back courtesy of one in his shoe. Just coming into rutting season for tortoise, and there's plenty of them appearing.

Heard plenty of wild boar in recent weeks but not seen any yet. A few Bee Eaters around - what a beautiful song they have! Ibex are starting to come down the mountain again. How the adult males move with the massive horns they have is beyond me - wouldn't like to argue with one.

A rare treat last Sunday was an Andalucian vulture flying low over the bowling club, about 50 feet up. The crows that were bombing it looked like sparrows next to it. It was using the up currents from steep valley wall next to the bowling club. And what a racket when it screeched!

This years flamingos are starting to lose their brown fluffy plumage, with white and a hint of pink starting to appear. No doubt they'll be off to Africa soon, along with the hundreds of swallows and swifts we've had this year.
 
Been a strange year for growing, some things great, others dire. Warmish winter, then late harsh frosts, fair amount of wind, really hot and dry.

Apples have been great for us, currants a good crop, strawberries good crop, pears not bad, plums okay, cherries not great, carrots good, broad beans okay, good for toms, radishs rubbish, lettuce okay early on but got to hot, okay for cucumbers but the poor runner beans just been smashed to bits with wind and the heat to much for them in the growing season(almost no crop as a result, normally really good).

Even normal plants like laurels and yew(& camellias), getting hit hard with the late frosts killing the new growth, then dry/hot weather. Hidcotes and a few other summer flowers not as good as normal probably due to the dry weather.:(

Not seen a hornet this year, very usual. Not thought about it until I read this post:unsure: But have seen a fox for first time in the garden this year.

Got a second lot of flowers currently on one rhoddie, it must be confused.:LOL:

Funny old year for growing.
 
Maybe Nature doesn't like your neck of the woods Doon.?
Plenty of fruit, wasps, ants, swallows, swifts, acorns and everything else down here......
 
As others have said, apple tree is heaving this year. Loads of conkers and acorns too.

I've noticed loads more spiders this year in the shed, loft etc. I seem to be constantly walking into cobwebs.
 
Doon frae Troon said:
Out for a walk with my lovely wife today and we started noting what a strange year it has been on the nature front in our area.

Very poor apple crop
Very poor bramble/elderberry crop
Hardly any wasps or ants
Very small acorns
Our goldfish seem to be hibernating this summer in our pond/ thought the heron had got them at one stage.
Hot flowers, begonias/geraniums etc doing well
Masses of Butterflies even some hoverflies
Hardly any swallows/swifts or sparrows

Is nature trying to tell us something
Click to expand...

Yes

It is much nicer down south:ROFLMAO:
 
sunshine said:
As others have said, apple tree is heaving this year. Loads of conkers and acorns too.

I've noticed loads more spiders this year in the shed, loft etc. I seem to be constantly walking into cobwebs.
Click to expand...

Last two years there was a bumper crop for apples/brambles etc.
This year we did have a late wind/frost that damaged new growth on trees/hedges.
Give me butterflies over wasps, spiders and ants any day.;)
 
DRW said:
Been a strange year for growing, some things great, others dire. Warmish winter, then late harsh frosts, fair amount of wind, really hot and dry.

Apples have been great for us, currants a good crop, strawberries good crop, pears not bad, plums okay, cherries not great, carrots good, broad beans okay, good for toms, radishs rubbish, lettuce okay early on but got to hot, okay for cucumbers but the poor runner beans just been smashed to bits with wind and the heat to much for them in the growing season(almost no crop as a result, normally really good).

Even normal plants like laurels and yew(& camellias), getting hit hard with the late frosts killing the new growth, then dry/hot weather. Hidcotes and a few other summer flowers not as good as normal probably due to the dry weather.:(

Not seen a hornet this year, very usual. Not thought about it until I read this post:unsure: But have seen a fox for first time in the garden this year.

Got a second lot of flowers currently on one rhoddie, it must be confused.:LOL:

Funny old year for growing.
Click to expand...
Where do you live, we've hardly had a frost in the last year.
 
SocketRocket said:
Where do you live, we've hardly had a frost in the last year.
Click to expand...

In west midlands Shropshire, 2019/2020 winter was fairly mild, wet but we had about 4-5 very late frosts when it got down to -3 to -5ish degrees after the new growth had started to pop out and killed/damaged it a lot, we had to put celotex round the runner beans/toms and cucumbers to try to protect them, a right PITA :LOL:.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top