Poppies and bumblebees.

What a time waster. I spent so long today watching big fat bumblebees trying to land on flimsy floaty poppies. A crazy dance.

The poppies keep just out of reach as the draft from the bumblebees wings pushes it away.

There where a few successful landings by the most persistent bumbles.

The poppies petals only last a day due to this persistent pestering.
 

Changes

 

This photo was taken 10 years ago when we started the first stage of our road. 

Since then this area has fed us, many friends and an ever increasing diversity of wild and farmed animals with an ever evolving succession of kai.

From the seeds grown and saved here we now have a community garden, seedling house and propagation area to distribute plant material into our community. 

Thanks to our friend Byron we have a birds eye view of this craziness.

Waikawa

 I love making Waikawa. Every step a new form emerges.

Weaving the base, making the corners, bringing up the sides, fixing the top and then my favorite plaiting the ends and making handles.

On the farm Pa Harakeke are beside drains and ponds and as an understory under larger deciduous trees for; animal habitat, bird food, self help rongoa for my animals and are all good weaving varieties.

My Pa Harakeke has been neglected for so long so as I 'clean them up' Waikawa making begins. These quick functional baskets are great for washing baskets, onions and potatoes, harvesting fruit.....and giving away to friends.

Compost is the key.

Only plants can photosynthesize and since sunlight is an amazing form of free energy then I use plants to capture as much as possible. Composting is a way of keeping all of that sunlight energy in your system.  

In my gardens anything that is not mulched to cover the soil is composted. A good compost will not smell (smells can indicate the loss of energy and certain nutrients) and will be full of composters (visible and invisible) working to cycle this energy. I usually make compost with these guys in mind.

 

 

Shady stream.

From a farm drain to one of the best places to be on a summers day. It's quiet today. So the native fish will be out enjoying the shady stream. 

We have just completed some rockwork to enable fish passage upstream and to stop it from eating out. Short runs and resting pools.

The stream and bamboo are a great team. Bamboo providing shade and bank stabilisation and the stream holding back these running bamboos. 
 

Diversity

 Regenerating soils means farming your underground livestock.

It then comes back at you tenfold -better drought resistance, healthy stock, good water absorption and retention and as amazing bird and insect life above ground. Such a beautiful place to be!!

We have a diverse range of tree/shrub species to feed the different types of fungi, birds and insects and our 'big' livestock in times of drought or when they can reach. These also give us materials for building, and making baskets, charcoal, fire starters, mushrooms, mulch, fruit and nuts........and shelter when we need it.

Our pastures are diverse too this one has; Chickory, 4 types of clover, birdsfoot trefoil, yarrow, 2 plantains, dandelion, foxtail, perennial rye, yorkshire fog, paspalum, dock, buttercup, comfrey, jerusalem artichoke, ............ 

Pulsing animals through this system supercharges it.

Webs

These cold frosty mornings highlight the amazing mahi of our spiders. Everywhere you walk there are dew droplets on webs. In bare branches, long grass and sometimes trailing from who knows where.

Spiders are an important cycler of nutrients and controller of insect populations. Keeping things in check in all important balance.

I like that spiders are web builders. Webs that span between. A reminder that everything is connected.

Tansy

Tansy is a constant presence in my garden. If allowed it will grow up to 2 meters all and run riot with beautiful yellow flowers.
I use it for an ever ready source of chop and drop mulch, food for insects, flowers for my table and as it is a perennial it provided growing roots in the soil all year.

Daily move

I love watching these guys every day. What herbs or grasses they eat first, how they dance into the next paddock all this knowing daily moves mean regeneration of soil systems.

Convolvulus Hawk Moth Caterpillar

This guy is so beautiful -found it on my kumara. Hopefully it pupates in time for winter. I am harvesting my kumara now so will need to put it next to some Convolvulus. 

Caterpillars

This has been a crazy caterpillar year!!

I think that the wet winter killed off a lot of our overwintering Queen wasps which then in turn have not been around to keep caterpillars in check. It is very different. 

I have noticed lots of moths and butterflies in my garden pollinating for me and there has been a late season explosion of ichnid wasps, Potters wasps and other solitary wasps who have been enjoying caterpillar feasts. I would much rather have these guys around than the Common and German wasps.

This is the pupa of the Convovulous Hawk moth that likes munching on Kumara, Convolvulus and all in that family. I have not noticed much damage on my Kumara so left this beauty to do its thing.

Frogs

Frogs in the pond are an indicator of life.

Life in that the land is healthy as they are very sensitive animals.

Life in that the weather is warming and I need to get a move on with summer plantings. When the frogs start singing every night I know it is time to strat planting straight into the warming soil.

Tree protection

Spot the new trees.

This year we have planted, Almonds, Pine nuts, Walnuts, Oak, Hazel, Peach, and of course the Tagasaste, Alder, various Acacia as support species and loads of natives. (over 400)

As this area has sheep to keep the grass down we built tree guards out of brush. These should act as a mulch as well.

Compost trenches

A lot of my garden beds have trenches down the middle. These are filled with stalks from my carbon crops, and then seaweed, animal manure, wood ash, leaves, weeds............ depending on specific crop needs and what I have at hand.

In-situ composting that creates a diverse habitat for the many decomposers in my garden, feeds my plants and holds onto moisture.

Queen bee

Could not capture the Queens but look at the early season Tagasaste flowers that are feeding them.

On these fine winters days you often get Queen Bumble bees coming out of hibernation for food. Tagasast sre one of htese important food sources.

On the lay again.

Yay!!!

Chickens are on the lay again.
This time of the year they are tractoring over Asparagus -weeding and fertilizing.

We swap a bucket of scraps for eggs and the Asparagus is right next to the citrus so is usually topped up with Grapefruit and Oranges.

Summer garden

Mason Bee nest

Mason Bees are an important early pollinator. They are a solitary bee and build nests our of clay. The nest is a series of chambers each containing paralyzed  orb web spiders and a single egg.

It is easy to make houses for these guys that can be moved into a dry winter spot to maximize hatching rates.

Native weevil

This beautiful iridescent weevil loves eating the pollen on the Amaranth.

It is a native weevil and can often be found in our gardens.

Frogs

You know you are doing something right when your garden is full of frogs.

We created a new pond a few years back and even with children, herons and ducks we are still inundated with frogs.