Caterpillars in November

[lily]

Really cross, checked the red sprouts and cabbage maturing nicely only to meet with well munched remains, amazed to see a whole family of big green caterpillars. Global warming has definitely gone too far this time.Moral no doubt is to leave netting on all year.

[Oola]

My mum gave me some winter cabbages to grow - I haven't made room for them yet so bunged them in a plant pot and have had them growing steadily on my windowsill for the time being. Unbeknownst to me I'd also brought in a little green caterpillar, and over the following days it munched and munched and grew and grew. Then one day it stopped on the side of the plant pot. I had a look at it and could see some sinewy threads attaching it to the pot. The next morning I came down and it had made a chrysalis around itself! The chrysalis has steadily gone from green to brown so I guess it's now a waiting game to see what emerges after the winter. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it.

I think the winter is not set to hit really until December, the coldest time of the year being Jan - early March rather than this time of year. So I guess the netting has to stay on at least until Christmas!

[eleanor2]

we have three new big juicy raspberries on our bush.5th november can you believe it.

[Oola]

My cosmos are still in bloom....still got some roses out too!

[eleanor2]

two geranium plants in the conservatory are full of new blooms.

[Oola]

Our caterpillar was supposed to pupate over the winter, but being in the kitchen must have sped up the process. It hatched a couple of nights ago and we found it fluttering about in the evening. We kept it in the conservatory overnight and then I let it go the next day. Hope it's found somewhere warm to live...my cosmos are still out and I've still got some bees buzzing around so I hope it'll be ok....

[Redstart]

It's come cold here and we are now colder than the UK (we spend from approx. May to OCtober warmer than the UK and from November to May colder - no sea to moderate the climate!). Top temperature today of 4°, which is colder than the 5° of last night. We've had flurries of wettish snow but it hasn't stuck. It's a good job I put the garden to bed yesterday.

It's quite normal for us to have snow in November but it doesn't usually stay. It returns at the end of December (beginning of January) and we often have a white Christmas. The last two winters haven't been like this though and I'm wondering if the average winter is going to change. So far it's been a warm and dry autumn and now it's turning cold in Noivember, like it should. Here's hoping for a an average winter!

[Oola]

Redstart, I can safely say that in all my almost-25 years, living in Bedfordshire I have NEVER seen a white Christmas, and I'm very envious of you! We had snow a couple of days before my birthday (31st Dec) in 2000, but that's the closest it's been.

When it does snow I do feel really sorry for the animals and birds out in it, that takes away from some of the enjoyment, so I overcompensate by putting out even more food than usual for them! I get the feeling though that we won't have any snow this year unfortunately. It's nice to have it lying for a few days, just enough to look pretty but not too much so that it causes absolute chaos (although these days only a couple of flakes have to fall on the railway and reduce the speed of the M25 by 10mph and you're in big trouble).