ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Friday 2 April 2010

PIG IGNORANT (02/04/10)

This is an understatement not to mention an insult to pigs. Today we walked up to Muncaster Castle. A grand sunny morning so we had a detour via some heath land in the hope of seeing an early snake or two. No luck there so wandered back via the ponds looking for Herons and frogs and came up empty handed again. Slightly discouraging but the castle gardens made up for it with a variety of trees in blossom and several plants starting to bloom. I haven’t a clue what I saw but it was refreshing to have some new life to photograph after what seems an awfully long winter.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA   Sunset from Ravenglass yesterday.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA  These are very impressive about twelve inches tall……………..Here’s a closer view……….

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Any suggestions or better still positive identifications will be gratefully received.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA This is getting embarrassing but as the saying goes in for a penny, in for a pound.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA      Three pounds.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Four pounds, this is rather a handsome tree………………………………

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA This garden has lots of specimen trees from the Himalayas, which probably explains the early blossom.

They have a wonderful owl collection here but it was too busy for many pictures. I tried to recall which ones I had missed on my last visit. Optimistic I know, given my memory.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA           Back on slightly safer ground here with a Barn Owl.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA A Striped Owl

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA I’m hoping this is a Siskin or rather a pair of them.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Again I haven’t a clue what this plant is………………Five pounds!

Tomorrows forecast isn’t too promising but we will see. I am here till Monday then moving back to Northumberland.

14 comments:

  1. Got me fooled there Adrian mentioning pig.
    I know the first plant is poisonous and ok you have me on the other plants I think the last plant is Irish bells but do not quote me on that. same as you I knew the owls. and if you did show me a pig I could or most likely give you the breed name. unless it was alien to the shores of Britain. happy Easter I hope you got molly a nice Easter egg, should be plenty of fresh goose eggs about. as I know she will only roll in a stinker.

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  2. Love the sunset, and the Barn Owl.
    Correct with the Siskin; and for a pound I'll have Arum maculatum (Lords-and-Ladies) for your first plant. Third one looks like a rhododendrun to me.

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  3. Tony, thanks you have a good Easter.

    Keith, yes Lords and Ladies. I found a new flower guide and it's great for me has them arranged by colour. Fooled me this time Lords and Ladies are under green I looked in yellow.
    The Siskins were a pain every time they left the feeder they shot to the back of a particularly dense bush.

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  5. The pinkish flowers coupled with long glossy green leaves looks to me like a variety of Rhododendron but with over 500 species don't ask me which.

    Hope it's warmer there than it is here. Bitterly cold wind most of the time.

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  6. Adrian. Glad you and Molly are enjoying Ravenglass and Muncaster area. The first plant I am fairly certain is something known as American skunk cabbage. It is related to Lords and Ladies but is much bigger and is grown in Ornamental Gardens such as those at Muncaster. There is certainly a rhododendron in there and the final plant is a green hellebore. Green Hellebore is a native wild plant and is one of the first Spring flowers to bloom.The birds are a pair os Siskins....So endeth the lesson !!!

    Hope you and Molly continue to enjoy your Easter up in Cumbria. Happy Easter to you both. Take care.

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  7. The snakes, or the lack of them, would want to see them, but alas that is the way it goes. Lovely bunch of plants you have photographed.

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  8. Brian thanks for all your help.

    John, thanks, it's freezing now and raining hard, so freezing is maybe an exaggeration.

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  9. Bob, I'm assured they are there, probably needs a bit more heat. I'm not really into flowers but it was good to see them.

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  10. Happy Easter Adrian. May your scenery be grand, may your plants be in flower and may your birds and snakes be many.

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  11. Still posting very interesting stuff Adrian. I would love a long hard winter up Lakeland area.
    We have missed the Siskins this year with just the one brief sighting in the Garden. The Striped Owl looks one hell of a character.

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  12. I enjoyed your five pounds worth of flowers - worth every penny, too. The only one that looks familiar to me is the rhododendrun. Happy Easter to you and Molly.

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  13. GB, and the same to you, one or two would be sufficient I'm going through a lean patch.

    Trevor, yes it's good to have a winter. Character assessment of the owl was awkward with it being asleep. It was quite windy and I've never considered it before but pretty clever staying perched.

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  14. Pauline, my feminine side showing, A very Happy Easter to you and yours.

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