New neighbours

They seem to have moved in. Who? The starlings.

Each morning, as I venture towards the kitchen my ears are assaulted by their raucous cries.  Now, this year, whenever you venture into the garden you hear them everywhere. Come the evening they outcompete with the more mellifluous sounds of the blackbirds.

They seem to have moved into, & presumably nested in, the huge tree in next door’ garden. When we first moved here, nearly 20 years ago, that tree was the nesting place of the collared doves. After many battles, some fatal, the doves yielded to the magpies. Now the magpies have given way to the starlings.

As for our insect house, that is definitely proving an attraction to the bees. Some hollow tubes have been blocked off for eggs to hatch. Most times when you look at the house a wriggling striped backside can be seen up a tube, hard at work. We put the house just near the lavender, always a bee attractant.

The garden has really filled out now. The pergola midway up the garden is covered with a mass of white clematis & sweetly scantly mauve wisteria. Further up the garden, beyond the white lilac tree & the large white hydrangea, huge pink clematis flowers have opened up. Today some dark purple & yellow irises have unfurled. There are azaleas, red, pink & white. In the wild garden under the silver birches bright red poppies are appearing. The Solomon seal is flourishing & laden with its creamy seals. Summer is definitely here.