After a slow start, due to the weather, things are growing nicely on the organic, no dig, wildlife friendly allotment.
While most of the soft fruit season has come to an end (apart from the autumn raspberries), the plums and apples continue to develop and are something to look forward to later in the season.
Thankfully the rhubarb has recovered a bit after a disappointing harvest. Rhubarb doesn’t like growing in waterlogged soil and although we have sandy free draining soil, I think it ended up being too wet over the winter. The rhubarb was on the plot when we took it over four years ago and had grown very large. Every five years Rhubarb can be divided when the growth has become weaker or leaves are overcrowded so I will do this around November and hopefully this will invigorate its growth next year.
The vegetables remain on a three yearly rotation to maintain soil health and keep viruses at bay. Main crop potatoes, kale (Cottagers and Cavolo Nero), beetroot, radishes and courgettes are doing well as usual. This years addition are carrots. I always like to try something different each year and It’s been a while since I tried growing these; so far they are surviving. They are in a raised bed and were sown later and sparsely to help avoid detection by carrot fly (Psila rosae). They are also in a mixed raised bed which also helps.
Along with covering vulnerable plants and growing sacrificial plants such as nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and marigolds (Tagetes), I intersperse herbs and other flowers in between the vegetables to help prevent too much loss from pests. I usually find beneficial insects soon appear when needed; there are lots of ladybirds on the plot at the moment. I also find the best way to deal with slugs and snails is to collect them and place them elsewhere; plus any plants with soft young growth are protected by copper tape on old pots and thorny material. I do allow some slugs to remain on the allotment however. The Leopard slug (Limax maximus) is one beneficial slug to have in a garden as they don’t eat living plant matter. They are great for the compost and also eat the eggs of other slugs.
We have a lot of wildlife visiting the allotment. There is often evidence of a fox (Vulpes vulpes) visitor (which we have seen on other plots). Plus we often see grasshoppers and Common blue Damselflies (Enallagma
cyathigerum) and frogs (at the moment we regularly notice one adult and one youngster hopping around). Last saturday, the sun was out and there was an abundance of bees on the Catmint (Nepeta), Red clover (Trifolium pratense), Lavender and Buddleia.
This year, I decided to undertake the Big Butterfly Count at the allotment. The butterflies seen were;
2 Small skippers (Thymelicus sylvestris),
1 Comma (Polygonia c-album),
2 Gatekeepers (Pyronia tithonus),
1 Peacock (Aglais io) and 2 Large whites (Pieris brassicae)
Given the abundance of Cabbage whites (Pieris brassicae) nearby I have made sure my kale is covered up.
I find it reassuring to have seen so many butterflies and bees at the weekend, especially as overall there seems to be a reduction in numbers this year; partly due to the frequency of wet days.
I have noticed lots of moths this year too. Perhaps the most exotic looking one I have seen so far is the Scarlet tiger moth (Callimorpha dominula).
This moth is medium sized, at 23- 27mm (across the wings). It flies during the day and night through May and June; often noticed while resting on plants. The caterpillars of this moth feed on Comfrey (Symphytum), Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum), Common Nettle (Urtica dioica), Bramble (Rubus fruticosus), Honeysuckle (Lonicera), Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) and Green alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens); they can be seen from August until May, overwintering into the following year. The habitats where the Scarlet tiger moth will be found are in areas of wetland, riverbanks, woodlands, gardens as well as coastal areas.
One sound and aerial display of summer which I enjoy is the return of Swifts (Apus apus). I have even been lucky enough to see them catching insects as they swoop over a pond (sometimes just skimming the water) along with another flock soaring high up the sky. I always treasure seeing these amazing birds as they are on the red list for Birds of Conservation Concern 5: (2021). A few things we can do to help them is to put up appropriate nest boxes, as well as adding swift bricks to new builds, giving them somewhere to raise their young. The RSPB also have a citizen science project where you can record their presence. Further information on how you can take part, can be found here.
Having arrived in Britain in April and May, it won’t be long before they return to Africa as they only remain here until August. Most of their time is spent on the wing, only stopping to nest in roofs especially of old buildings such as churches. If this isn’t incredible enough when feeding the young they regurgitate a bolus, (a pellet formed in the back of the birds throat) containing between three hundred to one thousand insects mixed with saliva. More information on swifts, including how to identify them can be found on the RSPB website, where you can also hear a recording of their distinctive call.
Swifts are not the only thing I have noticed around ponds lately. I recently learnt about another pond invertebrate, the Common backswimmer (Notonecta glauca). So called because they swim on their back just beneath the surface of the water. Not only do they feed on insects, but also tadpoles and small fish. They suck out the contents of their prey’s body after injecting it with toxic saliva. Found all year round they moult a few times before reaching their final length of one and half centimetres. It was quite fascinating to observe them swimming around.
Bee in the Moment 