Caldecote Old Rectory Garden

The Old Rectory garden in Caldecote is open this weekend for Coffees and Teas (10.30-17.30 17th and 18th May 2025). It was looking very good yesterday when I took a few photos of the wilder areas - plenty more to see including formal areas and a pond with water features etc.We walked across from Toft through the wonderful Buttercup meadows - the Yellow Rattle is already in bloom.

Garden Project May 2025

 With this last week's warm temperatures, a  lot of flowers have come into bloom while others are dying away. It is definitely Red Campion time making wonderful splashes of colour everywhere contrasting with the blue Alkanet and Centaurea. Buttercups have largely taken over from Cowslips in the meadow, the Bogbean is in bloom in the pond, the Perennial Alyssum is attracting lots of insects along with the three species of Spurge  etc!!

Hidden Dangers in the Buttercups

I thought I had photographed  a different species of bee in a Buttercup in my meadow area and it wasn't till I downloaded the images that I discovered the flower Spider Mesumia vatia had caught it. However, I did spend a long while taking various shots of the same species on a daisy head. This species can adapt its colour to that of the flower or leaf and is so confident in its camouflage that it doesn't attempt to hide!! Some other species to add to the garden list.