Repairing a section of damaged post and wire fencing and adding extra posts

After fellow service users had made an excellent job of tidying one of their planters I thought I would have a go at repairing a damaged section of post and wire fencing, increasing tension to the wire and adding a couple of extra posts for additional support.

The mini beast hotels are really beginning to blend in naturally

Trying to keep the wildlife friendly area tidy

Signs of autumn from the hawthorn in the wildlife area

Common lizard basking on the wildlife friendly area

A year in the life of a common lizard…

Spring - Adult lizards emerge from their hibernation sites in early spring. Mating takes place around April.

Summer - Females incubate the eggs inside themselves and ‘give birth’ to up to 11 live young around July/August. Juvenile lizards are tiny – less than 5cm long – and are darker in colour than the adults.

Autumn - Lizards spend the next couple of months feeding up on invertebrates in preparation for winter. They feed on worms, slugs and insects and give their prey a good shake, to stun it, before swallowing.

Winter - Common Lizards hibernate, often in groups, amongst rocks or dead wood generally between November and March. They may take advantage of milder patches of weather to come out and forage.

Common Lizards are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, against being deliberately killed, injured or sold/traded in any way.

Reference: froglife

Preparing for next year - collecting calendula (pot marigold) seeds

Still a mess.....but I could be wrong

A variety of plants on the grow your own scheme

Poppies adding colour on an otherwise dull and damp day

Spotted several common blue butterflies on the banking today

Vipers bugloss on one of the wildlife friendly areas

Vipers bugloss is a good source of food for a large variety of insects including; bumblebees, honey bees, painted lady and large skipper butterflies.

Not long now until I will be tasting fresh strawberries

Preparing one of my planters for some tomato plants

My fellow gardeners/service users have been busy this month

Enjoying the ox eye daisies on the wildlife friendly area

Watering some of my strawberry plants

The lavender in the communal herb planter was looking good today

Pottering about enjoying the sun

Checking the nest boxes....carefully

Its beginning to look bright and cheerful on the wildlife friendly area

Always good to see the inhabitant common lizards emerging and basking in the sun

Looking forward to watching the various seedling grown by fellow service users develop over the growing season

Enjoying the sun, the wildlife and some small tasks

On and off the garden today enjoying the sun the wildflowers that are beginning to flower, transplanting some more strawberries, dusting of some tools and applying maintenance spray where needed. Very therapeutic.

A therapeutic morning thinning out various grasses on the wildlife banking area

Repairing a section of post and wire fencing and thinning out the different varieties of grasses on the wildlife friendly banking to help wildflowers such as ox eye daisy, birds foot trefoil, lad"ys mantle, burnet, common toad flax and yellow rattle flourish. The yellow rattle is especially helpful in suppressing the grow of grass as it is semi parasitic feeding on nutrients and the roots of grass

A pleasant morning weeding and tidying my planters

Preparing my planters for a new growing season