M
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We had a lovely thunderstorm here with rain!
Flower Power
- Thread starter Maz
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elusive
It got quite humid here but the thunder never happened, we did have some rain though, at last.
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Frida
I've always been scared of thunderstorms and still am.
Once when I was walking home with my son from school we got caught in a storm. There was lots of lightning. A bot of lightning hit the pavement about 15 to 20 foot Infront of us. I pulled my son to me to protect him. The sound of the lightning hitting the ground was very loud and the brightness of the lightning did blind me for awhile.
Once when I was walking home with my son from school we got caught in a storm. There was lots of lightning. A bot of lightning hit the pavement about 15 to 20 foot Infront of us. I pulled my son to me to protect him. The sound of the lightning hitting the ground was very loud and the brightness of the lightning did blind me for awhile.
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elusive
I think that would be enough to scare anyone, probably for life.
I was in a room with a lightning conductor on the roof that got struck & the noise was like a bomb going off!
I did get caught out once when I went out for a very early morning walk in summer & a thunder storm just came out of nowhere, I was only very high open ground with nothing around me except sheep, wasn’t sure whether to lie flat on the ground & hope it got one of them or make a run for it & risk a broken ankle & a trip home in the mountain rescue helicopter!
I did make it down safely though & I still love storms!
I was in a room with a lightning conductor on the roof that got struck & the noise was like a bomb going off!
I did get caught out once when I went out for a very early morning walk in summer & a thunder storm just came out of nowhere, I was only very high open ground with nothing around me except sheep, wasn’t sure whether to lie flat on the ground & hope it got one of them or make a run for it & risk a broken ankle & a trip home in the mountain rescue helicopter!
I did make it down safely though & I still love storms!
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Frida
That sounds very scary Elusive.
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It can be scary if you're outside when it happens. There was a big thunderstorm when we were on holiday a few years ago and lightning struck in the village. I saw a flash in the hallway but not sure if it was through a window - it was certainly very close! What it did do was kill the wifi router! Not just in the house we were staying in, but in every house in the village virtually! Including the local pub. Which is why we have a surge protection extension plug on our devices at home!
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elusive
Frida it was scary but I couldn’t help seeing the funny side of it too!
I think that happens quite often Maz, lightning just loves things like that.
I think that happens quite often Maz, lightning just loves things like that.
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Frida
In back garden a few minutes ago. Sound on. I love the sound of bees around flowers.
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elusive
That’s a really beautiful sight & sound 
Did you know that higher pitched buzz is them doing what’s called buzz pollinating, the frequency of the sound causes the pollen to detach from the flower, clever stuff!
Did you know that higher pitched buzz is them doing what’s called buzz pollinating, the frequency of the sound causes the pollen to detach from the flower, clever stuff!
This morning and the main area of poppies is doing better than I have ever seen. Also I saw 2 bees on the patch at the same time. There seemed to be some rolling going on when some pollen was found. At least I assume it was caused by pollen as many visits were momentary with nothing to be found.
Some flowers have already dropped their petals and the seeds heads are forming. There will be no shortage of seeds for me to harvest and many will self seed as the seed pods spring open and they do it with some force. Sometimes when I am trying to pick one.
On the other side, there are 3 flowers open.
Otherwise there has not been a drop of rain here for so long. Hot and dry again. It is Operation Dustbowl each day to keep things alive. We don’t use a hose and recycle as much as possible. I would welcome any rain now even if part of a thunderstorm. It is so parched that at least an hour of light rain is needed to soak through to roots. Soon the grass will be all yellow, which happened last year as the temperature soared to that destructive record.
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That's nice you can harvest the seeds. Are all poppy seeds edible or just certain varieties of Poppy? (Probably a question for Elusive!). It looks like it might break and rain here but it hasn't yet. But it seems the rabbits are back again this year. They've eaten all the flowers off the two new plants I bought recently (and bit the heads off the pansies). I remember now why I put the strawberries in a hanging basket! But then the birds eat those - which I don't really mind.
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elusive
The poppies really do look lovely Coco, they really do like this weather.
I know what you mean about the seeds, if the pods are ripe as soon as you touch them they just explode!
I think yesterday’s rain has already evaporated here, my garden is in a sorry state already, I have loads of pots & containers, far too many to water, in my south facing garden they need watering at least twice a day in this weather, my usual worry is that they’re standing in water all the time!
I feel bad for the bees as there will be so little food for them, there will be pollen to collect but they need nectar to keep flying & dry plants won’t produce enough nectar or it will just evaporate.
Maz I think it’s just the opium poppy that’s used for edible seeds, not entirely sure though.
Such a shame the rabbits have ransacked everything.
I know what you mean about the seeds, if the pods are ripe as soon as you touch them they just explode!
I think yesterday’s rain has already evaporated here, my garden is in a sorry state already, I have loads of pots & containers, far too many to water, in my south facing garden they need watering at least twice a day in this weather, my usual worry is that they’re standing in water all the time!
I feel bad for the bees as there will be so little food for them, there will be pollen to collect but they need nectar to keep flying & dry plants won’t produce enough nectar or it will just evaporate.
Maz I think it’s just the opium poppy that’s used for edible seeds, not entirely sure though.
Such a shame the rabbits have ransacked everything.
I don’t know if they are edible so wait to hear if elusive knows.
This is a photo of a few of the unused seeds harvested last year. By the time I came to sprinkle them, the self seeded ones were well up and I only needed to fill in the gaps. Not sure now that was needed as my sprinkled ones got left behind.
But the seeds are tiny as you can see Maz.
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Yes they are tiny! 
Yes I have more or less given up on growing much (apart from existing shrubs and bulbs) since we had the rabbit problem that began the year before last. Last year I was told a local gamekeeper had "solved" the issue and we didn't really have a problem last year. But this year they are back. They just eat everyting, strip bark from plants so they die and bite all the flower heads off.
All this only started since ....................next door's cat disappeared! That cat used to keep rabbits and rats away outside and we never had a problem. They said they were going to get another one but never did. I considered an outdoor cat for here (I'm allergic and it wouldn't work with the hamsters with the room layouts anyway). But it's not easy to find feral cats for rehoming outdoors and OH isn't keen either. Most rehoming places want you to keep them indoors. There is a place that deals with feral cats though.
Yes I have more or less given up on growing much (apart from existing shrubs and bulbs) since we had the rabbit problem that began the year before last. Last year I was told a local gamekeeper had "solved" the issue and we didn't really have a problem last year. But this year they are back. They just eat everyting, strip bark from plants so they die and bite all the flower heads off.All this only started since ....................next door's cat disappeared! That cat used to keep rabbits and rats away outside and we never had a problem. They said they were going to get another one but never did. I considered an outdoor cat for here (I'm allergic and it wouldn't work with the hamsters with the room layouts anyway). But it's not easy to find feral cats for rehoming outdoors and OH isn't keen either. Most rehoming places want you to keep them indoors. There is a place that deals with feral cats though.
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elusive
I’m pretty sure those are opium poppies Frida.
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Frida
Thank you elusive. I've also have some on the front garden too.
If I leave them will they self seed?
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