There's a lot more life on a fruit plant than just the leaves (and hopefully berries). While it has sometimes been frustrating I've actually enjoyed watching the little insects that crawl all over our fruit. I think I realised today that I'm going to look on all the insects that live with us as friends of a sort. They are here to stay and they are each incredibly fascinating creatures. I'm only just beginning to learn about them and their strange habits but I intend to make it my business to learn all about the little animals that we share our garden with.
I think I started to look on them with an interested eye rather than an irritated fruit grower's eye when I spotted two snails mating near the bottom of a strawberry pot. I had put the pot into soak in some water and was just about to pick them off when I realised what was going on. Well, how could I interefere with the very creation of life? I took some photos and then left them in peace. (If you click on the photos in this post you will see a larger version of each image) I'm sure that the thought of all the little snail eggs that would result would make most people scream but I'll just couldn't help but be pleased to have witnessed such an event.
Another very interesting garden inhabitant is the ant and we have been watching them very carefully of late. We are hoping that they won't devastate the cherry and blackcurrants and are waiting to see if they increase to scary numbers. While watch a little group at the top of a blackcurrant shoot I noticed that there was actually an ant deep inside a blackcurrant flower. I'm presuming that he was collecting nectar and he stayed in there for a good few minutes. On looking around I noticed there was another guy doing the same. Of course it was very hard to take a photo of them but I had a go so you might get an idea of what I saw. It took about 30 attempts but I finally got him in a fairly good pose. Ants seem to have incredibly ben
dy bodies and so this one could curl right up and fit in side ways. I wish I had one of those tiny cameras that I could send into the flower to see exactly what he was up to.
When I was looking at one of the redcurrant cuttings I noticed a spider had made a temporary home by pulling the two sides of a leaf together with his web. I'm not sure what he was trying to achieve with this but I was amazed that he was actually able to do it. He must have attached a short piece of gossamer to one side and then walked over to the o
ther side and when the gossamer was tight he just had to keep pulling while the leaf was hoisted up. It's incredible really. I don't think that we humans would be able to pull an equivalent amount of weight without some help from at least a few other people if not a crane.
On my travels around the garden I spotted one of the redcurrants that has an aphid colony under some of its leaves. They don't seem to be causing any real damage so I've left them alone. They have however caused a blistering effect on the leaves with a wonderful red
dish discolouration. It's looks very strange but actually attractive. I'd be very interested to know how the aphids manage to make these blisters and why the leaf then goes red. I've so many questions and too many internet sights to trawl through to find the answers. I haven't yet spotted a good book where I can find those answers but one might turn up yet.
I can't help but be amazed at these "pests". They have ingenious ways of trying to ensure their survival and I'm not inclined to just squish them without a second tho
ught just because they are causing some damage to our fruit. If my very survival depended on it then I suppose I probably would, but it doesn't. I'd much rather watch the life on our fruit and maybe get a bit less of a harvest. I'm sure there are lots of things we could learn from these insects if we took the time to "listen" and I intend to find out some of those things.
I'd like to think that it is possible to grow your own food whilst also encouraging wildlife to flourish. Humans may make lots of mistakes and cause damage to our environment but there is certainly one positive trait that we have that other animals don't (as far as I know).....we are beginning to realise that we need to be concerned about all of life on Earth and not just our own and so some people are trying to preserve habitats and ensure clean water fand air for all the animals that need it. Humans have the capacity to help other animals that may need it and we also have the knowledge that a diverse ecosystem is key to our survival. We are learning from our mistakes and in the end we may well deserve our self appointed title as the most intelligent life form on Earth.
Within us we have the ability to figure out how to conciously cooperate with other animals rather than being in direct conflict with them. So I intend to do my tiny part by learning as much as I can from the guys that live on our food. I will certainly be entertained by them anyway.
I think I started to look on them with an interested eye rather than an irritated fruit grower's eye when I spotted two snails mating near the bottom of a strawberry pot. I had put the pot into soak in some water and was just about to pick them off when I realised what was going on. Well, how could I interefere with the very creation of life? I took some photos and then left them in peace. (If you click on the photos in this post you will see a larger version of each image) I'm sure that the thought of all the little snail eggs that would result would make most people scream but I'll just couldn't help but be pleased to have witnessed such an event.
Another very interesting garden inhabitant is the ant and we have been watching them very carefully of late. We are hoping that they won't devastate the cherry and blackcurrants and are waiting to see if they increase to scary numbers. While watch a little group at the top of a blackcurrant shoot I noticed that there was actually an ant deep inside a blackcurrant flower. I'm presuming that he was collecting nectar and he stayed in there for a good few minutes. On looking around I noticed there was another guy doing the same. Of course it was very hard to take a photo of them but I had a go so you might get an idea of what I saw. It took about 30 attempts but I finally got him in a fairly good pose. Ants seem to have incredibly ben
When I was looking at one of the redcurrant cuttings I noticed a spider had made a temporary home by pulling the two sides of a leaf together with his web. I'm not sure what he was trying to achieve with this but I was amazed that he was actually able to do it. He must have attached a short piece of gossamer to one side and then walked over to the o
On my travels around the garden I spotted one of the redcurrants that has an aphid colony under some of its leaves. They don't seem to be causing any real damage so I've left them alone. They have however caused a blistering effect on the leaves with a wonderful red
I can't help but be amazed at these "pests". They have ingenious ways of trying to ensure their survival and I'm not inclined to just squish them without a second tho
I'd like to think that it is possible to grow your own food whilst also encouraging wildlife to flourish. Humans may make lots of mistakes and cause damage to our environment but there is certainly one positive trait that we have that other animals don't (as far as I know).....we are beginning to realise that we need to be concerned about all of life on Earth and not just our own and so some people are trying to preserve habitats and ensure clean water fand air for all the animals that need it. Humans have the capacity to help other animals that may need it and we also have the knowledge that a diverse ecosystem is key to our survival. We are learning from our mistakes and in the end we may well deserve our self appointed title as the most intelligent life form on Earth.
Within us we have the ability to figure out how to conciously cooperate with other animals rather than being in direct conflict with them. So I intend to do my tiny part by learning as much as I can from the guys that live on our food. I will certainly be entertained by them anyway.
The plants commonly are attacked by a species of aphid which cause the leaves to blister and redden. The aphid often can be ignored and the cosmetic damage tolerated, otherwise spray the plants with an insecticide, making sure to get the undersides of the leaves.
http://www.island.wsu.edu/CROPS/REDCURRA.htm
Posted by: Jane | 01 June 2008 at 08:39
Insecticide? Aaaaaaagh. But then I wouldn't be able to look at these guys and be fascinated any more :(
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