Here it is, the first of April already. The year seems to be going by very quickly.
My little flower seedlings are beginning to flower, but some
of them are minus their petals. The viola
plants look fine, and the sepals are present, but the petals themselves are
missing.
I thought it might have been bird damage to begin with, but I think we actually have some slugs with very selective taste buds. I saw some silvery trails on some leaves, so have put down some bait to see if we catch anything.
This yellow viola was a rogue seedling that self-seeded
itself from last spring’s blooms. The slugs
don’t seem to be attracted by it, or maybe the climb up the concrete to reach
it is too strenuous for a slimy slug.
I’ve been to a very large funeral this last week. I always find it amazing that you know
somebody for a good part of your life, but you never know all that they are
involved in. Funerals are great places
to discover new things about a person!
My little Suzuki Swift car has had its annual service and only
needed the usual top-ups and filter replacements. It is always nice to be told that nothing was
found that needed repairing or replacing.
The weather is a little dull today, but more sunshine (and
colder nights) are expected this coming week.
Margaret 😊
For my header photo this month, I am staying closer to
home. Hamilton Lake is also known as
Lake Rotoroa and covers about 54 ha (around 130 acres). It is a naturally formed lake with a shallow
average depth of around 2½ metres, although it can reach 6 metres in
places. Being in the middle of the city,
it is a popular destination for walkers and those who love to sail (big yachts
and models). In my younger days, it was
also a popular place to go swimming but sadly the water quality now prevents
that. The resident bird population doesn’t
mind that, however, and several species will nest here.
In the background of my photo can be seen Mount Pirongia. Once the largest basaltic volcano in the
North Island, it is now (thankfully!) classed as being extinct.
I love your new Header - it looks so peaceful and summery ... and that's not going to last much longer, is it! I wonder if your concrete pot is 'best proof' because the concrete is not smooth, but sandpapery? One of the (many) theories about slug protection is spreading chopped up egg shells around the base of plants, because they act as a scratchy surface and discourage climbing. It's cooler and somewhat wet here in Welly this weekend. A good excuse for curling up with a good book!
ReplyDeleteI've never tried the egg shells because I thought they would look awful LOL
DeleteThe lake looks inviting - sad you cannot swim in there anymore!
ReplyDeleteAm I glad we on´t have slugs here on the balcony. Ewww.
I vote for increased coverage of Hamilton Lake - especially the birds nesting there. How sad that we have rendered the water unfit for swimming. Shouldn't be surprised though. We do it everywhere. Here in North America the Great Lakes are like giant cesspools.
ReplyDeleteHope the bait stops the slugs. Those are a beautiful colour
ReplyDeleteI have not seen any slimy slugs here but we do have a few salamanders!
ReplyDeleteI had to look up to see what a salamander was! Nothing like that here :)
DeleteI like your April header. Is there a walking path all around the lake, and if so, how far is it? Of course it's a lot bigger than our middle-of-the-city lake but I'm sure younger people would walk or ride their bikes around lovely Hamilton Lake if they could.
ReplyDeleteAren't slimy slugs just yucky? I'll gather snails by hand but when it comes to slugs I go around with the salt shaker. Granny M
Yes, there is a lovely paved walkway around the whole lake. It is 3.8 km long (which Google tells me is 2.36121 miles!).
DeleteI like your new header photo. Have you walked around the lake?
ReplyDeleteNowadays I just do parts of it at a time :)
DeleteIn late spring and summer we also have to fight the snails in the garden... otherwise they will eat everything bare.
ReplyDeleteYour little yellow viola is cute... I also saw the first one here :-)))
What a beautiful photo of the lake... totally relaxing... what harmony with the trees, the people walking and the kids on bikes. Beautiful.
Greetings to you. I wish you happy walks by the lake... think of me - I would like to be there too :-))
hug of Viola
I hope your little yellow Viola is like the ones we have here they smell a bit like vanilla:)
ReplyDelete