FIRST SNOW, FERNS, AND HUNGRY WILDLIFE

It's the middle of December 2019 and although there was a light covering of snow on the garden this morning, so far we have been spared severe weather. Sure, it's chilly, but that's to be expected; it's winter. I'm going to make fat balls for the birds this week but noticed that the squirrels like them too. Birds have been visiting the feeding station very regularly, greedily, and I wonder if they know something that I don't. Apart from the bit of snow, which soon went, it doesn't look very wintery in my garden. The white bacopa plants in the hanging baskets are still flowering, the parsley is still looking healthy and green, and the hardier ferns are delightful.

Ferns in mid December - Brauns Holly Fern Polystichum braunii, left
Dryopteris atrata, centre and
deciduous Dryopteris filix-mas Euxinensis, right

Ferns in June 2019 - Brauns Holly Fern Polystichum braunii, left
Dryopteris atrata, centre and
Dryopteris filix-mas Euxinensis, right

Ferns make a garden special

Squirrel hanging from feeder on washing-line.

I know some people dislike grey squirrels but I don't. I watched the above squirrel climb up the washing line post, wriggle along the line, and onto the feeder. He, or she, deserved a good meal after that. I wondered how it would get down and it just jumped down. Such acrobats.



I'm amazed, not only that the parsley in the garden border has not died back but that it is producing, or attempting to produce, flowers.

Parsley in garden border - 11 December 2019