Purple Wood anemone !!

The Wood anemone, (Anemone nemorosa) ) is supposed to be bright white but sometimes nature mix it up a bit and add a color or two to make it more interesting. From what I understand, it depends on the soil but I am not sure. Do you know?

Peacock butterfly

This picture is not from Svångemåla but I think this Peacock butterfly (Inachis io ) deserves to be in a blog about nature! Click on the picture to enlarge it!

Bullfinch

The Bullfinch ( Pyrrhula pyrrhula ) couple that last year had a nest in my Hops is now munching away on the buds of my Thicket Shadbush (Amelanchier spicata). I have not yet decided if it is OK or not but as long as they are happy I guess they can enjoy a free lunch.

Svångemåla up-side-down

If you click on the picture and look closely in the drop of water, you will see our shed up-side-down! Almost like some form of fish-eye lens!

Damson tree

As you might remember, an old Damson tree ( Prunus domestica ) fell down during a storm last winter but when we cut off some branches and put them in water, they started to bloom. Lovely!

First visit to Svångemåla 2014

It is cold, dark and very silent in Svångemåla this time of the year. I did not see a single animal when I was there some days ago to make sure that everything was OK. There were signs of animals that had walked around in the garden and I am almost sure Bruno is one of them. No signs of the pigs inside the electric fence which was a big relief. 

Twiggy looks really tiny and almost dead. I wonder if this is the end of that twig?

Old tree down :(

An old damson tree ( Prunus domestica ) has for many many years grown on our plot's border. Like an old person it started to change shape a bit and became more and more bent and when it started to tilt more and more dangerously towards our well I tried to support it but it was all in vane. When the storm Simone came it went down and will now have to rest like this until I can chop it up next year. Its wood is reddish and might be useful as material for some sort of wood work. It is still sad and I will miss it dearly.

One bright spot in an otherwise rather dull garden was this little flower but if you look carefully you can actually see something looking like a tear drop ! 

Good news! Svångemåla receives special protection.

This is really good news! Large parts of the forest that surrounds my plot is from now on protected from all forms of activities that can harm the flora and fauna. That means that not only I have realized that Svångemåla is a special place that needs to be protected and saved for future generations. My neighbor deserves a lot of credit for this and I can only congratulate all of us who live in the area for this development.

The area is now marked in various ways, including these signs of which a rough translation is below.

Protected Habitat /Biotope

Protected habitats /biotopes have high conservation values and the purpose of the protection is to preserve and develop these values. It is not permitted to take any actions or start any activities that may harm the natural environment. The area is protected in perpetuity and the land owner has received financial compensation for refraining from forestry. The Forestry Board has made the decision to protect this area under the Environmental Code and is responsible for the supervision of it.

The wild pigs are attacking again!

The pigs are back. After a few months of absence, the pigs are back in full force. All around our plot are fresh signs that they are very active and one night the scream of a pig that go 7000 V (!) jolt from the electric fence woke us up. Our neighbors garden is partly damaged and the small road leading up to our plot is now impassable for vehicles with normal ground clearance. It is amazing that this kind of destruction can go on without the "authorities" taking it more seriously than they do. Farmers are losing millions of Swedish crones due to damaged harvests as well as machinery. In the nearest village, Alsjöholm, several gardens have now been more or less destroyed by the pigs.

The height and seriousness of the damaged is difficult to catch in a photo but I can assure you that you now need a 4WD or larger vehicle to use this road!

Fall

No need to go to Vermont !