Thread: What's in your garden?

Originally Posted by naptownmike

I have seen quite a few of these lizards in our garden lately. Not this color though.

Attachment 85595

Nice one. That looks like the imaginatively named Blue crested lizard.

Siamese blue crested lizard (Calotes goetzi)

When I'm away at work, my 'office' doesn't get used and when I returned last week I found that a pair of pigeons had taken up residence on the balcony.

We have a bit of a pigeon problem, mainly because I'm too soft to kill them... but I do turn a blind eye when Maya and Yogi catch and kill the occasional bird. At least those pigeons get eaten so there is no waste.

Anyway, I now have a brace of pigeon eggs incubating on my balcony. I will remove the mess once the fledglings have flown the nest.



What I find most interesting is that the male and female take it in turns to sit on the nest.

This white and grey speckled pigeon is, I think, the female.



And this colourful, handsome chap, the male.



With some research I have discovered that pigeons are considered one of the most intelligent of birds, they mate for life, are completely faithful to their mate and grieve very badly when a mate dies, sometimes to the point of starving themselves. They also 'kiss' before mating, which seems a bit odd.

No way can I kill them, but I just wish they didn't make so much mess.

^Awesome Mediterranean spot for a bit of stalking a lone female along a quiet road BB!

This fig tree was growing in my roof gutter but has come down in the world and found a new home in a plant pot and will be transferred to the garden once it is recovered from its uprooting.

He's dragged his bedding out of the house there and nobbed it in the garden.

It's the canine equivalent of Mendy at sea, sticking it in his Swan towel

^Lol!

Originally Posted by Shutree

Wallabies can eat pineapples? I can only eat one after a deft seller has hacked at it with a machete. The wallaby has risen in my estimation.

They are hard as nails are wallabies and will chew through the wrong of a pineapple without blinking

Originally Posted by Mendip

I've got rats and squirrels in my garden... I'd love to have a 'bastard' wallaby hopping about!

I actually got a video of the wallaby munching last years pineapple and then hopping away looking quite guilty. He obviously knew I had been hungrily waiting my time to pick. Although I actually got about 75% of it so it was not a lost cause.

I was looking forward to 100% of the pineapple this year until I saw these in Coles.

They are twice the size of my little tiddler and they cost less than $3

Originally Posted by Looper

The Asparagus Triffid grand florid finale is progressing gradually...

Curious to see the progress of the asparagus triffids' efflorescence

The florets bloom from the bottom up so the bottom ones have expired, the middle ones are in ruddy bloom with their engorged stamens thrusting skywards and the top ones are still hiding under a bushel.

This was the pineapple which I ate last night. The forest pineapple tasted like potato. The Coles pineapple tasted great.

When I sent my photo complaint to Miss Mindanao today she told me that everybody in Philippines knows not to eat unripe pineapple as it is poisonous. So I googled it and she is right. Which explains why I woke up in the middle of the night with a massive migraine and had to take 2 codeine.

Anyway, I thought I had got one up on the wallaby this year but I am going to have to concede defeat once more.

I think I will stick to Coles pineapples from now on.

Originally Posted by Looper

codeine.

Can you buy that over the counter in Oz? I think it was removed from UK shelves decades ago. I don't even know if it is offered on prescription there.

Japanese Acer and British Blubells came out in colour this week..

Originally Posted by Shutree

Can you buy that over the counter in Oz? I think it was removed from UK shelves decades ago. I don't even know if it is offered on prescription there.

God that takes me back, used to be a bloke who went to one of the locals and he was called Codeine Kenny.

Anyway, Mendip is your neighbours roof in your garden? watching the news today and Korat looks to have copped a squall.

Just watching M'Sahib doing her weekly watering of her cactii and succulent collection. What started as a few plants about 4 years ago, has mushroomed into something else. God knows what she intends to do with them all, though apparently there is a market out there.

She got this greenhouse about a year ago, just a frame wiith some heavy duty polythene, with some roll up windows and doors for ventilation.



One side of the house.

Do you think its getting a little out of hand PAG

Originally Posted by malmomike77

Do you think its getting a little out of hand PAG

Just a little......

^ I had a white cactus flower like that many years ago. Another one I had was a lovely red. Both were pleasant surprises.

Not a lot but the grass has been cut at least.

Your lawn's a little bit wonky there mate, you want to borrow a gardener?

Originally Posted by Mendip

Your lawn's a little bit wonky there mate, you want to borrow a gardener?

We've got one. But she looked about 70 yesterday.

Oh... what's her name?

Originally Posted by Shutree

Can you buy that over the counter in Oz? I think it was removed from UK shelves decades ago. I don't even know if it is offered on prescription there.

I got it from my dentist last year and kept it stashed for alternative emergencies.

The two pigeon chicks from the nest on the balcony hatched last night.



It's a bit frustrating because this week it was planned to move a couple of aircons from downstairs to upstairs... my daughter's bedroom and my office. The outside units are to be mounted high on the wall of this balcony so that project is now on hold for a few weeks.

Pigeon chicks aren't the cutest of chicks... but they're here now so I'll wait for them to fledge before cleaning up the balcony and preventing any more nesting.

Squab pie

^ Wouldn't make much of a pie yet...

I've been sitting in my office doing some admin and watching the mum...



And dad take it in turns to sit on the nest to keep the chicks warm (it's quite cold in Korat today - 23 degrees).



I never realised that pigeons are so interesting.

Well it was in the garden, the first one off the bush. Its got the length right but needs to work on the girth.