What a mixed bag of weather we’ve had in the UK recently. It seems strange experiencing the current dry, warm weather given the snow, frost and april showers we had during the previous weeks.
Deciduous trees are turning green, as leaves unfurl and wildflowers continue to bloom. Snake’s-head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris), Speedwells (Veronica), White Dead-nettle (Lamium album), Red Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum), Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon), Forget-me-nots (Myosotis) and Cowslips (Primula veris) are all flowering at the moment, with English Blubells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) beginning to open up too.
Last week I caught a glimpse of a blue butterfly, my first sighting of the year, most likely a Holly blue (Celastrina argiolus). I also found another Red kite (Milvus milvus) feather as I worked last Tuesday (see below).
Even Tadpoles have begun to emerge, including in the pond we have near our plot on the allotment; hopefully they will help keep the slug and snail numbers down this year.
Slugs and snails have been in the news a lot this month because the Metaldehyde slug pellets ban has finally come into force in the UK. Perhaps we could view these creatures in a different way, after all they do good in nature; we can’t blame them going for an easy meal of soft tender leaves which just happen to be our prized plants. Interestingly only a small number of the 44 species in the UK are responsible for the damage we experience in gardens while the others feed on dead organic matter. I read an interesting article by Dr Andrew Salisbury, from the RHS, in The Guardian on this subject.
On my allotment I find wool pellets, copper barriers and cloches are helpful; along with growing seedlings on in pots before planting them out. Transplanting larger, stronger plants is better as they are able to withstand any damage, I also spend time collecting slugs and snails from hidden damp dark places and moving them to an area far away where they will cause less damage to crops. Encouraging predators (frogs, toads, hedgehogs, birds, slow worms (Anguis fragilis) and ground beetles) is always a great idea too, along with not having areas for them to hide near vulnerable plants.
A biological control that can be used, for slugs only, are Nematodes (Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita). Watered into the ground these eventually kill the slugs as they infect them with bacteria once they’ve entered the slugs body. I have never gone for this option as I find the other measures suffice.
The other option is to grow plants which slugs and snails do not eat. Ones I’ve noticed they avoid include Ajuga, Aquilegia, Digitalis, Fuchsia, Geum Penstemon and Pulmonaria (further examples can be found on the internet).
Bee in the Moment 