Silent Spring

I was hot from digging and shovelling about in the dusk so I sat outside under the climbing roses for half an hour from 10.00 till 10.30, wondering if there was anything alive apart from me.

Apparently not. While I was gardening I had seen no snails despite all the rain and no midges despite the damp. All I saw in two hours was one lovely white moth. There wasn't a squeak from an owl the whole time.

I get scared. Has Rachel Carson's Silent Spring really arrived? If so we are doomed.

However, this year I have had quite a few bees which first arrived with the flowering of the pulmonaria (lungwort) which seeds itself all over, and then they have really turned their attention to the honeysuckle, foxgloves and chives.

I am planning to border the whole vegetable garden with chives next year. I have so many and they divide and transplant so easily. I've been eating the flowers and seeds in salads this year for extra oniony taste. Funny how you don't get chive-flavoured honey.

Looking for a good picture of Pulmonaria, I found this lovely website:

http://www.wildchicken.com/

What fantastic pictures, and of course I like everything they are doing. I have just asked them if I can put up their pulmonaria picture. In the meantime, here is a weedy one from the BBC which doesn't show how many blue flowers you can get mixed in with the pinks:

Seven months later (see comments) here is Miranda's lovely picture and a link to information about Pulmonaria:

http://www.wildchicken.com/index2.htm#nature/photography/photo_003.htm