All our
smaller flying friends have arrived on the plot. No not the birds, but the colourful
flies, bees and ladybirds.
We first
spotted a dragonfly a few days ago and he was big and just took up residence on
the red cabbage and took in the rays. These are like the giant military Chinook
helicopters but without that constant rotor blade noise which always reminds me
of the opening sequence to the film, Apocalypse Now. They look like some
prehistoric beast with their large heads and eyes, long bodies and those Leonardo
Di Vinci inspired wings. This one was extra-large but not as luminescent as
some of the others flying around.
Today all
the family went to the plot - Annie, our whippet Lottie and me. We were only
going to water the greenhouse but an hour later with a bag of lettuce, rocket,
courgettes, spinach, kale, chard, French beans and some fruit I asked, ‘Do you
want any flowers?
Annie
smiled, tilted her head and said, ‘Yes please.’
‘Sweet
peas?’
‘Yes
please.’
‘Cosmos?’
‘Yes please.’
‘Gerbra?’
‘Do you
mean the masses of Orange and yellow flowers?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well they
are a must.’
‘Sunflowers?’
‘Maybe not
today.’
‘Crocosmia?’
‘Not today.’
It’s like
going to a florist and picking over all that is on offer.
With my
order in, off I went with my scissors in one hand and a ball of jute in the
other. I always tie the flowers into little bouquets so then can sit inside my large
old yogurt pots in my bounty bag for the journey home. To me it’s about
bringing home the colour and fragrances off the plot, but Lottie says she
believes cutting flowers brings home my feminine side and I should stick to the
spuds.
As I
collect the various flowers, I spot a couple of ladybirds nestling in an
unopened sunflower bud. They won’t get much there I thought and carefully
tipped them into my hands and carried them across to the French beans. Here I deposited
them in among a patch of black aphids and I think I made their day. It certainly
made mine with the thought of them chomping through the little black bugs and
avoiding me having to take action myself. As I looked down the string, I noticed
there were already a couple of ladybirds busy banqueting out. I bet that bean
is bug free tomorrow!
‘What’s so
interesting?’ I ask as I return to the bench to find Annie and Lottie staring
across to my neighbour’s shed. I am looking after her plot whilst she is
shielded and wondering if Freddie Fox is asleep under the Squash plants.
‘Schh!’
‘What is
it?’ I ask
.
‘Butterfies.’
‘They can’t
hear us.’ I comment.
Annie says,
“We don’t want to disturb them.
I look over
the my neighbour's shed and a clump of flowering Marjoram and see half a dozen butterflies
adorning it. I fumble in my pockets for my phone so I can photograph them. It’s
often crazy you see something and next minute it’s gone and the photo with it.
I approach
gingerly down the path with four eyes burning in my back as I approach the back
of the plot with camera app poised to click. Quickly, I spread my fingers to get
the zoom on to the plant and having final found them in the frame I take a
picture.
There is a
Peacock, a Red Admiral and two Comma butterflies all feasting on the nectar and
oblivious to me. A Large White tries to get in on the picture but senses danger
and alerts the others. I hate the White large and small and they are the reason
all the broccoli and cauliflower plants are living behind nets. The Red Admiral
flies off and I decide to leave them to drink in peace.
I think
allotments are fascinating natural habitats and amazed what makes it to and
resides on the island, it being surrounded to the west, south and east by the
Thames and north by Canary Wharf and its towers.
I think the
Peacock was my favourite.
