Squirrels mate once or twice a year and have their young between three to six weeks later, the young are born naked toothless and blind, normally it is the female who looks after the young and they are weaned between six to ten weeks. Unfortunately many squirrels die in the first year of their life, but they can have a lifespan of 5 to 10 years in the wild and in captivity they can have a lifespan of 10 to 20 years. The front teeth of the squirrel grow throughout its life and the cheek teeth are set back behind a wide gap for chewing their food. Squirrels cannot digest cellulose therefore they must rely on foods rich in protein, during the colder months of the year this can be very difficult because some of the food they have buried have started to grow making the food not edible and they now have to rely on new tree buds etc.

Tags:   Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Anamal Fury Cute Mate Twice a Year Young 3 to 6 Weeks Naked Toothless Blind Female Male Weened 6 to 10 Weeks Teeth Grow Throughout Life Cheek Teeth Gap Chewing Rich in Protein Stored Food Stored Buried Unedable Tree Buds

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The male Chaffinch is a very pretty and colourful bird with orangey pink breasts and cheeks, a grey blue cap with orange brownish back and they are a similar size to the Robin. These birds enjoy eating invertebrates, but as the year goes on they will start eating seeds. The male Chaffinch starts looking for a breeding area in early February but the nest building will not begin until at least April, the nests are round in shape and are quite delicate they use moss, grass, spiders webs and they are lined with feathers, they favour nesting in trees, hedges and bushes. The female starts to lays her eggs between April to June with a clutch of four or five eggs and the young chicks fledge when they are about 13 days old.

Tags:   Male Male Chaffinch Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Bird Colourful Pretty Very Pretty Orangey Grey Blue Cap Orange Brownish Back Invertebrates Seeds Breeding Area February Nesting in April Nest Round Shape Delicate Moss Grass Spiders Webs Lined Feathers Trees Hedges Bushes Egg Laying April to June Clutch Four to Five Eggs Eggs Fledge 13 Days Old

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The Harlequin ladybird originated in Japan and it was introduced to many countries around the world as a biological control to try and control aphids, they can also vary in colour and markings. The larvae of these ladybirds are black and orange and are about 1cm in length and they also feed on aphids and other insects, they have an elongated body shape and are mostly black or dark grey, the eggs are yellowish to orange and are laid in groups on leaves and they are difficult to distinguish from other eggs of other ladybirds. Many ladybirds including the Harlequin overwinter in groups inside buildings usually in large groups and they are not a problem to people but they can exude a clear yellow liquid which may cause some staining to furnishings, they also over winter in cracks within barks or rocks and any crevice they find.

Tags:   Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis Ladybird Insect Red Black Spots Introduced Japan Biological Control Control Aphids Aphids Macro Close Up Elongated Body Shape Larvae Dark Grey Eggs Groups Overwinter Inside Houses Walls Cracks Crevice Crevices

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The Gazania plant produces a large amount of flowers that are multi coloured and in various shades they also are known by other names such as ‘African Daisies and Treasure Flowers. These flowers are very pretty and grow easily from seed and will flower from June until September giving you a great splash of colour, they belong in the family of Asteraceae which are native to Africa, they are also drought tolerant and they are also light sensitive meaning that the petals will close up when it starts getting dusk and also on cloudy dull days, an interesting plant.

Tags:   Gazania Plant Flower Large Flowers Multi Coloured Various Shades African Daisies Treasure Flowers Seeds June September June until September Splash of Colour Asteraceae Native to Africa Africa Drought Tolerant Light Sensitive Close Up

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Cupids Dart plants belong in the Asteraceae family and they came originally from the Mediterranean regions and were introduced from Southern Europe in 1596, they are cultivated for their cornflower-like blue flowers and they can be dried to make them everlasting for a lovely display of dried flowers in the home. I planted the seeds of this plant last year (the picture is one of the flowers grown last year) and I thought that I had removed all of the plant ready for this years planting but it has surprised me that they are growing again, apparently they have a tap root which I thought I had removed but I must have missed a small amount and they are growing very well again this year. These plants are loved by many insects but particularly bees and butterflies.

Tags:   Cupids Dart Catananche Flower Blue Macro Close Up Asteraceae Mediterranean Introduced Southern Europe Southern Europe 1596 Cultivated Everlasting Dried Flowers Seeds Last Year Tap Root Insects Bees Butterflies

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