Observation observation observation

As you may have gathered by now, I like to base my gardening for wildlife on observation: there’s nothing I like more than a good old nosey around a garden seeking out which creature is using which plant. And so on Saturday I pootled along to a National Trust garden in Sussex called Nymans to indulge my curiosity.

The sun was shining, the wind was light, so it was a pleasure to see several butterflies still on the wing (Painted Ladies, Red Admirals and a Peacock). Their nectar source of choice was several types of winter heather, cultivars of both Erica carnea and Erica x darleyensis. The great thing about both is that they can grow on neutral and limey soils as well as acid.

Also doing well was a Mahonia, its flowers in full flame attracting bumblebees, Honey Bees, hoverflies, flies and a Red Admiral.

But the plant that fascinated me most was a straggly, unimposing Magnolia tree about 20 foot high. It was in fruit, its rather exotic ‘seed heads’ bursting with the red, bead-like ‘berries’. Birds couldn’t keep away – there were several Starlings plus a Blackbird, Song Thrush, 4 Blue Tits (right), Coal Tit and Great Tit, more birds than I saw in the rest of the garden combined. It reminded me of the David Attenborough documentaries from the rainforest, where monkeys and toucans seek out favoured trees as their fruits come into season, an ever-changing menu for them to learn and seek out. Here at Nymans, this Magnolia was clearly the café of choice this weekend!