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2007 February 10 & 11, Saturday & Sunday

This weekend much of the work consisted of removing the pile of  half-decomposed brambles roses, stones and earth on the extreme north point. Our future house is planned just behind the Loquat in this photograph (of two months ago), with views over the future pond, orchards, fields and mountains and this heap simply doesn't fit in aesthetically. But here again a clear conflict with ecological values: the heap must have been there for quite some years and contained probably a lot of wildlife. During the job I encountered several impressive centipedes, two mice and a fat toad which at least survived the operation and will be able to find other lodgings. Sadly the same didn't count for three or four thick earthworms (of a total of about 25  that I found) which were cut in two in the process. These are the same earthworms which I suspect of causing the same bubbling noise that I commented on 21 October 2006 and which at this weekend could be heard again, probably because the soil had completed melted by now with temperatures of 6ºC in the early morning and 17ºC (!) in the afternoon.

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Looking north.
The pile in question on the extreme north point.
3 Dec 2006 10:40

Finger-thick earthworms.
Saturday 15:35

I put some of the bramble branches to good use cutting them in pieces of 15 cm and introducing them in the vertical apertures of the biowall: nice for solitary bees.

The comment about higher temperatures of this biowall of 3 February seemed to be further confirmed by these two photographs of Silene vulgaris, the first was made at the foot of northern shadow face of the wall while the second, showing the Silene in a clearly worse condition, was made three metres to the east in open sunlight. Perhaps the role of wind is also of some importance.

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The biowall provided with bramble branches.
Sunday 9:43

Silene vulgaris at the foot of the northern face of the biowall.
Sunday 9:49

Another 'management' operation was the cutting and planting of four Common Figs (Ficus carica) using branches of an old Fig tree already present. They must be very easy to reproduce in this way and this is the right time.

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Looking north-east in the western lower part.
A 40 cm long Fig branch planted in the centre of the three stones.

At the beginning of the year I had installed some facilities for birds but until now we hadn't seen much activity around them except for the Red Robin who at times even seemed to demand to be fed with his insisting chirping. Strangely enough on this feeder we had bought from Vivara, the pasta was eaten for more than 50 % on the side nearest to the tree trunk while the opposite side was almost untouched. Even stranger was the fact that the few Tits we saw there were only eating from this latter side.
The solution to this puzzle came on Sunday at lunchtime . I was eating outside when I saw a mouse dribbling along the stonewall in front of me and suddenly it went running up the almond tree where the birdfeeder hang at a height of 2 metres.
As silently and slowly as I could I went for my camera and started to make shots, every time come nearer and nearer. All these precautions resulted useless because the mouse was simply too absorbed in his meal to be disturbed by a simple human being. For a while it didn't eat or move and seemed just tired and stuffed up by so much eating. I poked it a little bit with a branch but it only changed his position somewhat and continued to gorge.
It resulted to be a Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), characterized by its large ears and two-coloured tail. It is usually active at night which makes its behaviour even braver.

This birdfeeder should of course hang a bit more separated from the tree trunk but as the birds don't appreciate the food too much (unthankful creatures) and the mouse does, I leave it for the moment where it hangs. I suppose it will stimulate the population of mice on my terrain which in turn means more food for the owls that I am trying to attract with nest boxes. An indirect form of birdfeeding let's say..

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A birdfeeder hung in an almond tree 2 metres from the caravan.
Sunday 9:35

The intruder in full action.
Sunday 15:00

Another puzzle was the orchid I mentioned last week. On Sunday morning I found another piece of the jigsaw: a dried flower stalk of what indeed looks much like an orchid.

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One of many rosette of typical leaves but this one still with a dried flower stalk from last season.
Sunday 10:29

Spring was really in the air and on the ground these days. One of the earliest heralds is usually the annual Erophila verna, which germinates in autumn and flowers at the end of the winter, avoiding this way the dry and hot summer. The species practises self pollination causing the existence of many varieties which some botanist put in different subspecies. What might be characteristic of this variety are the leaves which are extremely linear for the species.

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These flowers of a Lonicera etrusca had been here on this shrub since the beginning of January and they don't seem to know what to do. Perhaps another indication of climatic turmoil.

This other Honeysuckle (?) on the right didn't show any flowers or flowerbuttons but simply stayed a brown-green colour during winter.

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An early guest to our terrain was this Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus). Spring can't be very long..

A field of Erophila verna on the highest terrace.
Saturday 12:29

Looking east on the highest terrace.
Lonicera etrusca.
Saturday12:32

Colias croceus among some leaves of Holcus lanatus (turned red probably because of frost)
Sunday 11:51

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