The fritillary family contains the only truly chequered flowers that I know (but do remind me of others if you can think of them!) Both parts of the Latin name for snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) refer to this feature: the Fritillaria part refers to either the Latin word for dice ( fritillus) or (more likely to my mind) the word frittillo, which means a table for chess-playing (thanks to The Poison Garden website for this insight). Vita Sackville-West called it ‘a sinister little flower, in the mournful colour of decay.’ As with many other flowers of a nodding habit, they were said to be hanging their heads in sorrow at Christ’s crucifixion. One alternative name was ‘Leper Lily’, as the flowers are said to be the same shape as the bells that lepers had to carry to announce themselves. However, it’s fair to say that the plant has an unfortunate reputation. I love the nodding heads, which only reveal their beauty if you turn them over. I love the elegance of the pure white flowers. I am exceedingly fond of snakes, and so the strange scaly pattern on the purple flowers enthralls me. Snake’s Head Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris)ĭear Readers, snake’s head fritillary is my favourite spring bulb. They spend very little time hanging around the feeding site (less than 30 minutes a day I’d say), and so they are obviously getting the rest of their food from the usual sources – insects, scavenging, and probably the remains of the lunches of wasteful humans. I’m hoping that by just putting out a small amount, it won’t make the foxes dependent, but will help with their energy requirements. In the meantime, I am going to be dropping some dog food in addition to the jam sandwiches – lactating females of all species need all the food they can get, if my foster cats are anything to go by. We shall have to be hopeful that these two will manage to raise their family and, if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll get to see the cubs. But at least this litter will have lots of people looking out for them – B who feeds the cats, the Dog Unit man and myself to name but three of the small army of folk who seem to spend time watching the wildlife in the cemetery. Cubs are so vulnerable, and this is the middle of a city, after all. To say I am excited would be an understatement. To me, this confirms my initial hunch – the female is lactating, which presumably means that she has cubs back in her earth. And then, when the vixen moved, I noticed something.Īpologies for the quality of the photo, but I am sure that she has the low-slung look of a mother fox. When I was in the cemetery with my friend J (another dedicated cat lady like myself) the two foxes were waiting for us, and I had a chance to get quite a few photos. It isn’t showing any signs of a wound, and it’s not at an unusual angle, so I’m hoping that it will just sort itself out. However, she still has quite a turn of speed, so I don’t think her leg is bothering her too much. She has now developed a limp, so I’ll be putting some arnica on the sandwiches along with the mange remedy. The one standing up still has a touch of mange, and is also losing her winter coat, but her skin is definitely improving (so much for my initial scepticism about the homeopathic remedy). The one laying down is completely mange-free, and a beautiful fox – I’ve seen him several times before. Occasionally they bicker, but generally all is serene. They play together, wait patiently for their jam sandwiches and dog food together, and sometimes groom one another. DailyFX Limited is not responsible for any trading decisions taken by persons not intended to view this material.Dear Readers, for some time now the two foxes above have been seen together almost every day. Any examples given are provided for illustrative purposes only and no representation is being made that any person will, or is likely to, achieve profits or losses similar to those examples. It is not a solicitation or a recommendation to trade derivatives contracts or securities and should not be construed or interpreted as financial advice. This information is made available for informational purposes only. Information presented by DailyFX Limited should be construed as market commentary, merely observing economical, political and market conditions. We recommend that you seek independent advice and ensure you fully understand the risks involved before trading. We advise you to carefully consider whether trading is appropriate for you based on your personal circumstances. Leveraged trading in foreign currency or off-exchange products on margin carries significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |