More rain and flooding

Its been another very wet week.

Area where the pollarded willow is flooded again

Its been raining everyday for the pass week, so I kinda figured that the ground at the orchard would be very wet and that the corner that does get flooded would be so it was no real surprise when I got down their and it was.

The water in the flooded area was a brown muddy colour on Sunday. Many of the farms and the roads have been flooded, and the livery stable owner couldn't drive down to the stables. He had to walk down and with his Wellington's on, he didn't risk it even with the land-rover  I had gone down to the orchard with two fellow bee-keepers  I showed them around the hives we looked into two of them to see of the bees were fine and were still eating the fondant. In one fondant have been eaten and and brace comb built up into the additional super. I don't really want the bees wasting energy building wax. However it was nice to see the bees flying around, in this weather.

I saw a couple of ladybirds and various other insects. The grass is dying but the trees are doing ok.

Next week its going to get colder that will bring different issues.

Weeding started and I've seen 2 field mice

Orchard this week

I have started the weeding and its going well. I have actually seem two field mice while weeding, both seem to have set up home under different fruit trees and because some of the weeds have a grown 30-50 cms long around the trees they are were happy. However I have pulled up the weeds and they they will either move on or return to the mouse holes. The mice seem to have lots of food with worms insects under the trees to eat.

I have check and fixed lots of the rabbit guards some of the larger trees have also been gnawed, but are now protected. Most are done.

I have been watching Tales of the wild wood on the BBC I player its a great programme. Worth a watch if you have time.

The weather has been more rain and I can see some large puddles  building up.

This entry is a little later and over the past couple of days we have seen more rain and its worrying  Will check the orchard over the weekend. Near me I have seen lots of large trees knocked down because of the adverse weather.

Golden floor

Golden floor around the orchard floor

The floor of the orchard and it surrounds are beginning to be full of leaves and falling grass. In some places the floor was a stunning golden colour.

Rabbit warren empty this year

The remaining leaves on the trees are getting paler, to me even the the almond trees leaves seem a little paler this week.

Quince leaves getting paler

With the foliage on the orchard floor fast disappearing its clearer to see the homes of some of the creatures that live in the orchard. I can see rabbit holes and even homes that may belong to field mice or other creature.

I think I am seeing less rabbit holes this year it could be because the ground has been so wet this year and the water table would have come up. Some rabbit warrens  may have flooded or made them too damp for rabbits to live in. The rabbits may have gone up the hill or further up the embankment. That being said I am seeing small mice holes around the orchard floor perhaps not as many as previous years, but I can see them.

Buds ready for next year

The buds are now visible on lots of trees and to me they offer a promise of what could be next year. We still have months of dormancy before they will grow and actually open.

The rabbits have actually started to gnaw at a couple of trees. I have over the previous years made lots of rabbit guards  some of they have fallen away and some just need to be checked. Its was nice to wonder around. The plan for the coming weekend is to spend a day weeding and fixing rabbit guards.

Tree trunk gnawed by a rabbit

Go out and have a look now.

Get out side and have a look around this is one of my favourite times of the year.Things are changing so quickly, its a time of year when things are closing and getting ready for the following season. Nature is discarding this years clothes and fashions and getting ready for the following year. The buds have started to form on the trees, Seeds have fallen and are sinking down and getting ready to leap out at you next year.  The trees have pushed all its sugars deep down into its roots, and are awaiting the suns warm rays to rush up and push out new branches extend old ones and force up all that energy. Go out and check it out.

Just wrap up warm.

This was the last paragraph from the last entry. Im sure not everyone reads to to the bottom so I created a separate entry.

Its Cold Quiet and the ground is wet

Its was cold and bitter

The news reports have stated that the ground in lots of areas is still saturated because of the large amounts of rain that we have had throughout the year. Well I can confirm the orchard floor is very still saturated. We had more rain last week and so its just building up in the ground.

Quince tree with yeallow leaves

Under some of the trees I can see that the worms have been doing a great job and successfully sucking down the dead leaves and bring fresh soil to the surface.

The leaves are yellows, reds  and browns and still green on the almond trees and its very quiet, and cold. The cold last week was very sharp.The wind was also piercing.

Almond tree still with green leaves

The almond trees are strange they start growing early in the year and they are still very green this time of the year compared to other trees. They seem to be doing more in terms of trees of what trees do, than the other trees in the orchard. Some of the trees start to grow buds in late April and by October they have started to fall and by November the tree is dormant. I  have had no harvest from the almond trees this year but the trees themselves are doing well in terms of growth and foliage this year, but they do work harder or are active for longer.

Red veins on a quince leaf

I look forward to the new year. The planning for some pruning in January has already started and some new willow. I may also plant some chestnut and oak trees around to encourage more varieties and diversity.

It was far too cold to visit the bees but I hope they are doing well.

As I write this I am on a train from London to Birmingham, and I can see that they many fields, woods, and bits of land that I pass are water logged. I have even seen several hundred willow trees planted. I presume they are being grown for energy, as a biomass as they are planned very closely together. The colours along the journey are great and the journey very picturesque.

People get out side and have a look around this is one of my favourite times of the year.Things are changing so quickly, its a time of year when things are closing and getting ready for the following season. Nature is discarding this years clothes and fashions and getting ready for the following year. The buds have started to form on the trees, Seeds have fallen and are sinking down and getting ready to leap out at you next year.  The trees have pushed all its sugars deep down into its roots, and are awaiting the suns warm rays to rush up and push out new branches extend old ones and force up all that energy. Go out and check it out.