Winterbourne Garden in Autumn

Photo 1: Winterbourne House (25th September 2025)

Last Thursday (25th September 2025) Mary & I caught the 7:09 am train from Hereford to University (Birmingham) for Mary's biannual trip to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham for her regular heart transplant check-up. Everything was fine!

Having made the 80 minute rail journey from Hereford to University, we usually like to make a day of it by visiting local attractions or, sometimes, continuing the journey into Birmingham itself. As the name implies, University (Birmingham) is also the railway station for the University of Birmingham which, fortunately, has some attractions of its own that are open to the public. In the past we have visited The Lapworth Museum of Geology, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts and the Winterbourne House & Gardens which are all just a short walk from the railway station. Currently, The Barber Institute is closed for refurbishment but we plan to revisit when it re-opens in 2026. We have visited the Winterbourne House & Garden on two previous occasions (see here & here), both in Springtime. We thought it would be nice to pay an Autumn visit to see how different the gardens looked at this time of the year.

Fortunately, is was a bright sunny day and, after a quick pit stop for a cuppa tea, we started our walk around the gardens. Being further north than Hereford, the autumn colour change was less pronounced in Birmingham. The recent rains also meant the lawns had recovered from their parched state of the summer months.

Photo 2: Winterbourne Gardens (25th September 2025)

In the woodland area, the 'giant rhubarb' (Gunnera) had taken over in some places ...

Photo 3: Gunnera in the Woodland Area

As an invasive species, originally from South America, Gunnera is no longer available to buy in the United Kingdom. Existing plants do not have to be destroyed but precautions must be taken to stop them spreading in the wild. Whereas the skunk cabbage dominated the wet conditions of this woodland in Spring, Autumn is clearly the time for Gunnera.

Photo 4: Gunnera as tall as a Man

The herbaceous borders were a delight showing off their autumn hues ...

Photo 5: Autumn Colours in the Borders

... with the grasses fluttering and glistening in the light breeze and sunny skies.

Photo 6: Architectural Grasses, Winterbourne (25th September 2025)

During our Spring visits in March, the greenhouses often provided some welcome warmth. Not today though!

Photo 7: Bitterroot or Lewisia, Winterbourne Greenhouses (25th September 2025)

In the cactus greenhouse, these Mammillaria geminispina cacti would make an excellent subject for a jigsaw.

Photo 8: Mammillaria geminispina, Cactus Greenhouse, Winterbourne (25/9/25)

It is still possible to have exotic scenes thanks to the warm autumn weather ...

Photo 9: Winterbourne, 25th September 2025

Finally, there was a nice collection of pitcher plants in one of the greenhouses. Almost as good as our collection in the bog garden at home ...

Photo 10: A Profusion of Pitcher Plants, Winterbourne (25/9/25)

What is this?

 A question to start this post. What do you think this photograph shows?

Photo 1: The Mystery Object

Let's see what Artificial Intelligence (Google's Gemini) thinks it is.

"This is likely a worm cast which is the excrement of an earthworm or a marine worm like a lugworm. Worms ingest soil or sand, filter out nutrients and organic matter, and then excrete the indigestible material, forming these distinctive coiled mounds on the surface."

Gemini used information from 4 websites to give its answer: Wikipedia, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), The Wildlife Trusts and a blog . [Note: the Gemini search involved a lot more websites (77) but chose to base its answer on these four]. Three of these four sites were reasonable choices but I question the use of a blog from a fiction & nonfiction author as an information source on this topic. [Note: the blog in question, lauraperdew.com, is excellent and well worth a visit - just not as a primary source of information on the natural world].

Interestingly, when asked again (same question as above: what is this?), Gemini hardened its answer to a lugworm cast.

Clearly, this is not a photo of a worm cast as it is obviously on a paving slab of some description; i.e. not the place where you would find a worm cast! My follow-up question was: what animal left this faeces? And Gemini's response:

"Based on the appearance of the scat in the image, particular its long, tubular, and somewhat segmented or twisted shape, with tapering ends and what appears to be a uniform, muddy or possibly fibrous texture, it is consistent with the characteristics of fox scat."

This time Gemini's answer was based on just two websites (the Mammal Society and two different web pages of The Wildlife Trusts) though it had checked out a good deal more.

Here is some context that Gemini was not privileged to. The photograph (Photo 1) was taken on the garden patio, close to our bird feeder, in our urban garden in Hereford. I have indicated the exact location of the poop.

Photo 2: Poop Location

It is certainly not impossible that the photograph (Photo 1) is that of a fox scat. After all, urban foxes are not uncommon in towns and cities. However, there have been no recent reports of foxes in this part of the city and no additional evidence for their presence (fox tracks, remains of dead pigeons, holes dug in flower beds, etc).

On the balance of probability, I suspect this poop to be of bird origin (near a bird feeder) and, more specifically, the excrement of a wood pigeon because of the poop size. Wood pigeons are a constant bane ever since they decided to use our garden for breeding and raising their young (see here, here and here, for example). This month has seen the third occurrence of nesting wood pigeons in the garden albeit in the winter flowering cherry tree this time instead of the usual wisteria. I thought it might be a bit late in the season for breeding but, apparently, they can breed all-year-round with April - October the main breeding season. The latest nest and occupants (Photo 3) seem to have been trying to reproduce since mid-August but have only been nest-sitting for the last week or so.

Photo 3: Third Pigeon Nest of the Year in the Cherry Tree (19th Sept 2025)

My final reason for discarding Gemini's suggestion of fox scat is the prevalence of the aforementioned wood pigeons. Although the wood pigeon is not the sharpest tool in the shed, it is difficult to believe they would attempt to rear young in the presence of a known predator.

Typically, wood pigeon poop is a splat or a smear because it has either fallen from a height (e.g. tree) or they have defecated as they fly away. Colour, shape and consistency will depend on their diet. Our wood pigeons are spending a considerable amount of time standing and walking on the patio in the vicinity of the bird feeders. My hypothesis is that stationary birds on the ground produce this coiled structure. I have seen similar, but smaller, coils on fences used as perches by smaller birds. Gemini is dead against the idea these are wood pigeon droppings even when asked directly if that is what they are. Maybe we will never know for sure unless I catch the culprit in the act.

Hottest Summer on Record for UK (and Hereford)

 The meteorological summer of 2025 (June, July & August) was the hottest on record according to the UK Met Office (based on the average temperature (Figure 1) or average minimum temperature over the three summer months). Herefordshire (circled in Figure 1) was 1.5 ℃ to 2 ℃ warmer than the long-term (1991  - 2020) average.

Figure 1: Average UK Temperature Anomalies for Summer 2025

My weather station data only goes back as far as 2020 so I cannot say whether this summer was the hottest ever in Hereford. However, we can say the summer of 2025 in Hereford was comfortably the hottest summer of the current decade (Figure 2). Compared to the 2020 - 2024 summer mean (17.5 ℃) in Hereford, this summer was 1.5℃ warmer.

Figure 2: Mean Summer Daily Temperatures in Hereford

Whenever we have a hot summer, the media (social & mainstream) always harks back to the legendary summer of 1976. In 1976, we were both in Norwich: Mary was working at the John Innes Institute and I was doing my PhD at the University of East Anglia. It certainly was a hot, dry & sunny summer in 1976 - indeed the hottest on record at that time. However, as Figure 3 demonstrates, it was not as hot as this year's summer based on average daily temperatures. Herefordshire and Norwich/Norfolk are marked on the map in Figure 3 for reference.

Figure 3: Average UK Temperature Anomalies for the Summer 1976

August 2025 recorded a single heatwave in Hereford that lasted eight days (10th - 17th) which took the number of heatwaves this summer up to 5 (Figure 4); the most in a summer season this decade (2020 - 2025).

Figure 4: Number of Summer (JJA) Heatwaves (2020 - 2025)

If we just look at the number of hot days (i.e. >26 ℃), then 2020 was the record breaker with 2022 & 2025 equal in second place (Figure 5). It is possible that 2025 could still overtake 2020 & 2022 if we have a spell of warm weather in the second half of September or October.

Figure 5: Number of Hot Days (>26 ℃)

In summary, in Hereford we have just experienced a very hot summer that included 5 heatwaves. We really need to pull our socks up if we are to avoid some very unpleasant summers in the near future.

Deweeding the Driveway

 We have two small driveways on either side of the house with room for four cars in total. It was one of the reasons we bought this house because parking is at a premium in the narrow streets where we live. At some point in the past, maybe 20 years ago, we replaced whatever was there previously with block paving.

The problem with block paving is that eventually the weeds start to grow through.

Photo 1: Weedy Block Paving 

In the early years there are only one or two weeds but these soon start to multiply, especially if you don't keep on top of them ...

Photo 2: Weedier Block Paving

... and then it is time to get the deweeding implements out. I have a number of options at my disposal.

Photo 3: Tools for Weeding a Block Paving Drive

From left to right:

• Long-handled Weed Brush with Scraper
• Long-handled brush and pan
• Electric Weed Burner
• Organic Weedkiller
• Pressure Washer

Job #1 - Use the long-handled weed brush to scour the joints in the block paving and dislodge the weeds. Caution: this is hard work and may result in blistered hands - wear gloves

Job #2 - Sweep up the dislodged weeds into the dustpan and add to the compost heap/HotBin

Job #3 - Attack any remaining stubborn weeds with the Electric Weed Burner. I find it takes between 10 and 30 seconds to burn off a weed depending upon it size and 'thickness'. Mosses and liverworts are resistant to burning off with an electric weed burner. If I tackle the weeds on a sunny day, my electricity costs are zero (rooftop solar PV)

Job #4 - Weeds that are difficult to reach or in a location not amenable to scraping or burning (e.g. Photo 4) can be treated with an organic/biodegradable weedkiller based on pelargonic acid.

Photo 4: Manhole Cover with Plastic/Rubber Inlay

Job #5 - I don't usually bother but you can give the drive a final clean & polish with a pressure washer. You might want to refill the joints with sand after a power wash.

The final result (without power wash) is pleasing to the eye ...

Photo 5: Deweeded Drive

... but, unfortunately, will have to be repeated annually.

Thanks to a new piece of kit I bought this year, the deweeding task is both quicker, easier and less painful (fewer blisters!). This electric weed sweeper (Photo 6) is a direct replacement for the long-handled weed brush and scraper (Photo 3).

Photo 6: Electric Weed Sweeper

The working parts of the weed sweeper (Photo 7) comprise a black plastic guide wheel and an interchangeable nylon or steel wire wheel (Photo 8) covered by a clear plastic safety guard (Photo 7). The weeder was supplied with one of each type of deweeding wheel along with the necessary tools to fit and exchange them.

Photo 7: Close-up of the Electric Weed Sweeper Moving Parts

Photo 8: Nylon & Steel Wire Deweeding Wheels

The electric weeder was very easy to control and use. I found both the nylon and steel wheels equally effective on our block paving drive. It is impossible to say, at the moment, how long the deweeding wheels will last; probably good for at least a couple of years in my case.

Provided I don't let the drive become too overgrown, an occasional weedburner treatment should suffice for the remainder of the weed growing season.

Important note: all the treatments discussed are wildlife and pet-friendly. This is important as both next-door neighbours have cats and/or dogs.

View from the Rear Window - August 2025

 With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy - Oscar Wilde

Without wishing to sound boring and monotonous, August was warm, dry and sunny. Just like March, April, May, June and July. Despite the very dry Spring and Summer, the garden has held up remarkably well with an absolute minimum of watering apart from the container plants. The roses are in their second flush and we will be picking certain fruits (plums, apples, pears & grapes) much earlier than usual.

This month's garden photo was taken on the 28th August when the roses were blooming marvellous as they were in June. 

Photo 1: View of the Rear Garden (28th August 2025)

Daily garden photos from the rear window are collated in Video 1.

Video 1: Daily Photos of the Rear Garden (August 2025)

Summary weather statistics for August 2025 are collated in Table 1. We had some very hot days when the daytime temperature pushed the mercury above 30 ℃. The main 'feature' however was the lack of rain (less than 25 mm in total and >75% of the days dry).

Table 1: Summary Weather Statistics for August 2025
Weather Parameter	Value	Dates
Average Monthly Temperature	19 oC
Maximum Monthly Temperature	34 oC	12th
Minimum Monthly Temperature	8 oC	22nd
Number of Air Frost Days	0
Number of Hot Days (> 25 oC)	15
Monthly Precipitation	24.8 mm
Greatest 24 h Precipitation	8.2 mm	30th - 31st
Number of Dry Days	24
Monthly Sunshine Hours (estimated)	181
Highest Wind Speed	39 km/h	4th
Heating Degree Days	54.6
Cooling Degree Days	63.1

Daytime maximum temperatures (Figure 1) were fairly consistent throughout the whole month except for the seven day heatwave (10th to 17th) when the daily maximum averaged 29 ℃. Night-time temperatures were double digit apart from the 6th (9 ℃) and 22nd (8 ℃).

Figure 1: Min/Max Daily Temperatures for August 2025

As noted already, there was very little rain this month. Most (87%) of the rain fell in the last 5 days of August (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Daily Rain & Sunshine Data For August 2025

With 6 years of August 'weather' collected from my Davis Weather Station, we are starting to look for emerging trends. Bearing in mind that the time series data are limited to just 6 years, some discernible trends may just be appearing, especially if you close one eye and squint with the other! For example, Figure 3 suggests the maximum monthly temperatures are on the rise. Whether average monthly temperatures are showing a small increase is still debatable. More data, please.

Figure 3: August Temperature Data for Hereford (2020 - 2025)

From Figure 4, it is clear that dry Augusts are becoming the norm for a British Summer. Climate change is expected to lead to hotter drier summers and warmer wetter winters. Perhaps we are starting to see these trends emerging.

Figure 4: August Wind, Rain & Sunshine Data for Hereford (2020 - 2025)

The following three figures are taken from here since the usual monthly report was not yet available. Temperatures were slightly above the long-term (1991 - 2020) average for most of the UK, including Herefordshire (Figure 5).

According to the nearby Credenhill Weather Station (approximately 4 miles away), the long-term (1991 - 2020) mean August temperature for Hereford is 16.52 ℃. Since the mean temperature anomaly for Herefordshire was between +0.5 ℃ and +1.5 ℃ (Figure 5), we would expect Hereford 's August mean temperature to be between 17 - 18 ℃. The slightly higher mean temperature recorded by my Davis Weather Station (19 ℃) is likely a combination of the urban heat island effect and rounding errors.

Figure 5: UK Mean Temperature Anomalies (August 2025)

The relative rainfall for most of the UK was well below the long-term average except for a few west coast locations. Rainfall in Herefordshire (yellow circle, Figure 6) was about 50% the 'normal' August rainfall according to the Met Office's statistics. The Credenhill Weather Station records the average August rainfall for that location as 58.42 mm making the 24.8 mm recorded in our back garden just 42% of the long-term average. So in full agreement with the Met Office data.

Figure 6: UK Rainfall (relative) for August 2025

UK sunshine hours for August 2025, as a percentage of the long-term average (1991 - 2020) are summarised on Figure 7. Herefordshire (circled) had above average sunshine which ties in nicely with the weather stats from my own weather station (Figure 4). Strangely, August did not feel especially sunny though my memory may have been clouded (pun intended) by the cooler wetter 6-day period at the end of the month (Figure 1 & Figure 2).

Figure 7: Sunshine Hours (relative) for August 2025

Jobs in the Garden

• Harvesting Vegetables: Potatoes. French Beans, Calabrese, Aubergines, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Sweetcorn, Onions
• Harvesting Fruit: Raspberries, Strawberries, Gooseberries. Redcurrants, Blackcurrants, Plums and Apples (Rev W Wilks). The Jubilee Plum harvest was the first of any significance (800 g) since planting the young trees six years ago.

Photo 2: Jubilee Plums (28th August)

• Storage/Preserving of Rev W Wilks Apples: The bulk of the crop was dehydrated or frozen for long term storage; undamaged apples were stored on a shelf for use in the next month. Some damaged apples were converted into apple crumble pies for immediate consumption.
• General garden tidying and, of course, composting!

Flora & Fauna in the Garden

• Blackbird (x2, Male & female)
• Blue Tit (x5)
• Great Tit (x2)
• Collared Dove (x2)
• Crow (x1)
• House Sparrow (x15)
• Magpie (x1)
• Robin (x1)
• Starling (x10)
• Wood Pigeon (incl Squab)

Photo 3: Wood Pigeon Squab (31st August 2025) on the Nest

• Small White Butterfly
• Large White Butterfly
• Red Admiral Butterfly

Photo 4: Red Admiral on Currant Bush (15th August 2025)

• Oak Galls in the Mini Wood (6th August) - once the resident gall wasp has left, the galls will be turned into iron gall ink

Photo 4: Oak Galls in the Mini Wood (6th August 2025)

And, finally, some photos from the garden ...

Photo 5: Cyclamen in the Mini Wood (27th August 2025)

Photo 6: Cyclamen in the Mini Wood (27th August 2025)

Bug Hunting by the River

 Last Saturday (6th September 2025), Mary & I volunteered to help out at a local event organised by the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust. We've been members of the Trust since we moved to Hereford twenty-three years ago. It was a very pleasant autumn day if a little on the windy side. Unfortunately, the wind put paid to our Citizen Science display on water quality testing in the River Wye Catchment. Fortunately, we were able to help out with the Riverfly Survey.

Figure 1: Event Poster

There were plenty of activities for children with the more adventurous able to try their hand at steering a coracle.

Photo 1: Coracling?

There was plenty of interest in the Riverfly Survey - a citizen scientist project to monitor the biological quality of lakes, streams, ponds and rivers by recording the riverfly species (i.e. stoneflies, caddis flies and mayflies). Other aquatic organisms are also recorded but the main focus is on riverflies which have an all-year-round presence and are good indicators of water quality.

Suitably-attired (waders and safety jacket) citizen scientists obtain a 'kick sample' by, as the name suggests, kicking/agitating the river bed to collect aquatic material (living or otherwise) in a net (Video 1).

Video 1: Kick Sampling for a Riverfly Survey

The kick sampling is performed for a specific time which is why you can hear Mary counting down in the video. The contents of the net are then carefully tipped into a plastic tray and the net carefully rinsed to transfer any and all creatures into the tray. The difficult part, especially for me (chemist) but not for Mary (biologist), is identifying the catch.

Photo 2: Riverfly Survey - Identifying the Invertebrates

Three fish species were found: stone loach, minnow and bullhead

Photo 3: Stone Loach, River Wye (September 6th 2025)

Photo 4: Minnow, River Wye (September 6th 2025)

Photo 5: Bullhead, River Wye (September 6th 2025)

All diminutive fish that are part of the food chain for the bigger fish such as this barbel caught by local anglers who were fishing 10-20 metres downstream ...

Photo 6: Local Anglers with a Barbel Catch (6th September 2025)

Lots of other interesting bugs & insects (as our granddaughter calls them).

Photo 7: Water Scorpion, River Wye (6th Sept 2025)

Photo 8: Stonefly Nymph, River Wye (6th Sept 2025)

Photo 9: Pond Skater, River Wye (6th Sept 2025)

Photo 10: Bladder Snail, River Wye (6th Sept 2025)

Photo 11: Banded Demoiselle Nymph,River Wye (6th Sept 2025)

Photo 12: Common Water Measurer, River Wye (6th Sept 2025)

Photo 13: Blue-winged Olive Nymph, River Wye (6th Sept 2025)

Photo 14: Green Drake Mayfly, River Wye (6th Sept 2025)

Photo 15: River Saucer Bug, River Wye (6th Sept 2025)

Some were miniscule and difficult to spot with the naked eye unless they were moving ...

Photo 16: Micronecta, River Wye (6th Sept 2025)

Video 2: River Saucer Bug and Stonefly Nymph, River Wye (6th Sept 2025)

A really enjoyable day explaining the importance of the River Wye to the citizens of Hereford while also learning something new.

Disclaimer: All identifications by a knowledgeable person and, definitely, not by me!!