August sky.

Wet and cool this August.
Wettest and 2nd coldest August here since we started recording in 2000. Duller than average, overall a huge contrast to July. A very autumnal feel to the month.

Just visible in the lower half of this photo, there is a faint horizontal band of green and pink running through the clouds.
This is called Cloud iridescence.
This is looking towards the north west, towards the south east at the same time there was a rainbow.

Also looking north west, on the same evening.

August garden.

The leeks are growing well.

Overwintering groundcover of poached egg plant has grown fast with the wet warm August weather. Purple sprouting broccoli is underplanted with crimson clover.

 Calendula and borage with runner beans behind.

Tivon's sweetcorn.

The blocks of sweetcorn are all grown from seed saved last year, which was grown from seed saved from the year before.

Last years cobs / this years seed that grew the plants above.

 Sweetcorn does cross pollinate very easily but I have found home saved seed is usually good for a few years for our own use.

A humming bird hawk moth was foraging on the runner beans on July 29th, by the time I got the camera I only got one shot before it flew off. It is in the centre of the photo, blending in with the leek flower behind.

 

It is a very good year for fruit and all the pears are cropping well, this one is conference.

 

Spartan apple, one of many apple trees planted.

This rose is growing up the Spartan apple tree.

Crisp and juicy "Discovery", the first apple of the season.

 Assorted apples. Almost all our fruit trees were bought as bare root one year old trees. Every winter I plant a few (several!) fruit and nut trees, It spreads the cost and the joy of planting. Once planted many can be propagated.

Victoria plums.  Plums must be one of the most delicious and easiest fruits to grow here.

This photo is taken from a distance with our basic camera but one can just make out several thrushes feasting on the rowan berries. A flock of more than 50 flew in and after eating their fill, flew off, amazingly they did not eat every one, the next day the Rowan still appeared to be covered in berries.

Rowan berries.

August polytunnels.

Aubergines and peppers are not prolific but there is enough. August is the season for ratatouille.

The last peach tree finished fruiting in the middle of the month.

I have been taking lots of cuttings to propagate plants and Alfie likes to do whatever I am doing, His favourite saying at the moment is "I'll help with that job".

Tomatoes in the big tunnel, mostly I will make passata with these.

 Wendy's "fat tom" is reliable and abundant.

Grapes in the big tunnel are finished but the later variety in the small tunnel are not quite ripe yet.

Honey bees on Eucryphia, chestnut and mint.

The best bee plant for this August in the garden has been the Eucryphia nymansensis.

It has been flowering all month and seems to be constantly covered in foraging honey and bumble bees.

The Eucryphia was planted as a very small tree about 12 years ago and is now about 20 feet tall.

The mints are flowering beautifully and the bees are enjoying them.

 

  This is the flower of a lovely small ornamental chestnut, Aesculus parviflora,  planted about 10 years ago.

 Honeybee on Chestnut, Aesculus parviflora.

Other best bee plants at the moment are borage, poppies and Aster.

Butterflies, caterpillars ...

Just a few of our garden inhabitants this summer.

 I find the creatures that live in,  or visit, the garden to be every bit as beautiful as the flowers.

Painted lady butterfly on Buddleja July 20th

Peacock Butterfly  July 20th.

Green-veined white July 20th

 Caterpillar of the Herald moth on willow, July 14th.

Elephant Hawkmoth feeding on the bog bean that grows in the pond. July 14th.


Elephant Hawkmoth on Rosebay willowherb. August 7th.

Six-Spot Burnet Moth in the meadow July 7th.

Baby Shield bugs,  June 28th.

 

Young Shield bugs, July 8th

Summer Bumble bees.

Just a few photos of the many bumble bees so far this summer.

I love this picture with the 2 packed pollen sacks.

Bombus Pratorum on Borage, July 26th

Bombus Pascuorum pollinating the Japanese Wineberry, June 25th.

Bombus terrestris queen flying amongst Poached egg plant, (Limnanthes douglasii).
 

Bombus Lucorum Agg. on Spirea japonica "goldmound".

 Bombus Pratorum on ox-eye daisy, June 9th. Ox-eye daisy's have self-seeded abundantly.

 
Bumble bee on poached egg plant, forget-me-nots in the picture too, June 9th.

Bombus Hortorum on foxglove.  Fox-gloves too have self-seeded with wild abandon. June 9th.

Bumble bee on leek, July 3rd.

Carrot and onion harvest.

 The rabbit (one of many rabbits!) found the carrots in the big tunnel but luckily munched through all the tops first before starting on the roots. To save the crop Tivon lifted them,

 Alfie was, as usual, an eager helper.

  We usually leave the carrots in the ground and harvest as required, so it was interesting to see how many carrots there were. They weighed in at 5kg +. with the tops off. Not bad for a short row, considering we have been picking out the biggest ones as needed since June.

 While Tivon and Alfie harvested carrots, I strung the potatoe onions and then Tivon helped to cut off the tops that stick out.

 and of course, Alfie helped too!