The Old Vicarage- slow weekend

 Another very slow, boring but rather relaxing weekend at the Old Vicarage. Once again couldn't muster up the energy to get out in the field in south west winds inland in August. Did a bit on the mini-farm and some moth trapping. The mini-farm is coming along well with some things coming to an end - we dug out the potatoes, planted spring onions where the beetroots were, got an endless supply of courgettes and marrows and there are 10 pumpkins doing well too for later. The sugar snap peas are over now, the sweet corn got blown over, the runner beans are still going, tomatoes are producing with lots more to come, radishes are going over, carrots still coming and we've ordered some winter potatoes that should be ready for xmas. 

On the moth front its getting rather autumnal- lots of Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Vine's Rustic, Large Yellow Underwings, Square-spot Rustics and overall the diversity is quite low although today its very wet and windy so I had to bring the trap in at midnight. 

My brother Steve is away for the whole of September so I'll be captaining the business on my own so will have to stay in London for next month so won't be back to the Old Vic until October. Once Steve is back my plan is to take the whole of October off and see if I can find some rare birds and moths. 

What with the European travel rules constantly changing and restrictions not sure I'm going to get to either the Azores or Bulgaria this year. Will be my first time in 20 years that I haven't visited the Azores.  

The mini-farm looking a bit wind swept and autumnal (above and below) 

Planning on bringing a few more biodiversity features into the mini-farm next year with some permaculture guilds and companion planting and also hope to plant up a butterfly shrub and herbaceous border in another part of the garden - which will be a winter project. Still want to find 1000 species in the garden (on 781 at the moment) . 

A nice haul of potatoes from the ground sown batch 

Bryan got some cucumbers going in the green house which are coming along well 

The Spring onions have gone in 

I believe this is Evening Deadly Nightshade, which even though a pan-species tick for the garden is probably better to get rid of considering we have pets and children  

Mouse moth- don't get many of these here

Small Square Spot- these and Flounced Rustic seem to be having a good season 

A well marked Agriphila geniculea 

Had this at the Beddington obs on the way out on Saturday morning- still working on it, maybe a Agonopterix sp or something like a Parsnip moth (left my books at home)