Volunteers at St Ethelwold’s have been clearing and dividing the clumping plants and on the plants stall are Hemerocallis ‘Primal Scream’.
Yesterday, a group of children were in the garden helping during half term to clear leaves. More leaves have fallen since then. This morning was misty with an autumn feel.
Cobwebs were strung on plants and other fixed objects around the garden.
A crow cawed from a perch high up in the biggest tree – now bare of leaves – and then flew away toward the Old Gaol.
A robin came down, first to the mossy wall, and then to the large tree to sing.
St Ethelwold’s House has a seasonal display on the welcome desk with crocheted pumpkins and orange plants and fruit.
Volunteers were cutting up twigs and sorting out compost.
I turned a handful of compost and small creatures crept and crawled back under the surface, preferring to be hidden. As today turns to evening and night, other creatures will appear in the garden’s quiet corners, creatures that prefer the darkness.
Category Archives: wildlife
St Ethelwolds Garden – September 2024
There was heavy rain a week ago that lasted through Monday.
But the plants in St Ethelwolds garden have strong stems and those in the yellow / orange border have survived and are standing upright.
Leaves are beginning to fall.
Coming into its own are the late-season flowers, like asters or Michaelmas daisies.
The apples have all been picked and more have been brought from elsewhere as the Abingdon Carbon Cutters pressed apple juice in the St Ethelwolds Garden during the last three days of September.
St Ethelwolds Garden – August 2024
Two weeks ago, I saw John Killick at the Climate Emergency Centre offering Biodiversity tours of St Ethelwolds Garden. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time then, and have popped down since but not found him again. Maybe I’ll do a report on Biodiversity in September.
I noticed that some parts of the garden, once vibrant, are now ripening with lots of seeds.
The south facing orange yellow border is a bright as ever
as is the border of white flowers with pots of Cosmos along the side of the house.
The herb garden has the refreshing scent of mint and chives.
There aren’t many birds, probably because people are usually around. There are lots of bees and flies and spiders, but few wasps. There have been more headlines about the disappearance of wasps. “Where have all the wasps gone?”
The other noticeable feature of August are the maturing fruit such as these apples.
Visitors don’t usually pick the fruit themselves but are welcome to the windfalls and teasle cuttings.
Swan Injured Near St Helens Wharf, Abingdon
At approximately 4:00 pm today, I saw an adult swan with five cygnets. The adult had blood on its back.
Concerned about the swan’s welfare, I searched for a swan rescue organization and landed on swansupport.org.uk and they answered immediately. Upon mentioning my location in Abingdon, the call handler said they were already aware of the injured swan and rescuers would soon be there.
Later, I saw the five cygnets alone, without the adult swan. The injured adult was probably receiving treatment, and the cygnets were fending for themselves for the time being. Some people speculated a dog attack might be the cause of the injury but we didn’t know.