It’s some ten months ago that we installed a surveillance camera in our backyard to get photos for the girls of our fox Trotter. Since then we have had photos and videos of magpies, crows, jays, tits, hares, squirrels, wolverine, lynx, woodcock, buzzards, raccoon dogs, badgers, even moths. No Trotter – till a week ago.
A shy one, this Trotter
When it came into the open we saw it’s not the one we have seen for years here; not a red fox at all but a cross.
Just a timid and hungry cub, in fact. It has visited us several times now but only that first time in daylight – maybe to introduce itself properly…
The second newcomer has almost the same colouring:
A silver-washed fritillary, form valezina
For years, we have been looking at every silver-washed fritillary, hoping to see this fairly rare form – now there are at least two of them in the garden.
Once again, the summer has been a seesaw one but the garden has adjusted admirably to that. We have eaten our first melon
Tiny but lovely
and are trying to remember how we made those chilli preserves
and whether we have had grated ginger in the cabbage casseroles.
Fortunately, there is still quite a lot of growing that doesn’t need (or wish for) our assistance:
Gem squashes
Other kinds of squashes (plenty)
Garlic and Jerusalem artichoke
Tomatillos – oh well, just some additional 5 metres of string every week…
… so we can escape to the wild:
No need for garden raspberries when the wild ones are so luscious
Ceps at their best
A treasure trove – wetland chanterelles
A spreading bellflower living up to its name
Northbynorth 