Category Archives: Nature

A glut of plums

Posted on 05/07/2020 by nessafrance

New subscribers via WordPress: if the link in the notification email doesn’t work, copy and paste the URL at the bottom of the email into your browser. Don’t right click and copy because that will simply copy the broken link. … Continue reading →

Posted in Food/drink/recipes, Nature | Tagged plum trees, plums, pruneaux, pruneaux d'Agen, prunes, SW France, vieille prune | 12 Comments

Seeing the Wood for the Trees

Posted on 12/04/2020 by nessafrance

I have always loved woodland, and so we are fortunate to be surrounded by it here – not dense forest, but copses and thickets interspersed with fields. In fact, much of this woodland is not more than 100 years old, … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature | Tagged ash trees, barn, land clearance, managed woodland, oak trees, SW France, woodland | 11 Comments

Very Welcome Visitors

Posted on 03/03/2019 by nessafrance

We knew they were there, because we’d heard them. But we didn’t know exactly where. They kept themselves well concealed, only moving about at night, until we stumbled upon their secret hiding place.

Posted in Nature | Tagged Asio otus, long-eared owl, moyen duc, owl pellets, owl roost, owls, SW France | 16 Comments

Mistletoe in French Tradition

Posted on 17/12/2018 by nessafrance

When I lived in the UK, mistletoe was a rarity, only to be found in over-priced bunches in garden centres during the run-up to Christmas. Moving here, I saw that it grows abundantly in our area. Some species of tree … Continue reading →

Posted in Customs, Nature | Tagged Christmas traditions, Druids, Gauls, gui, mistletoe, mistletoe on oaks, SW France | 4 Comments

Wild Boar

Posted on 18/11/2018 by nessafrance

When we moved here in 1997, it was not uncommon to see whole troupes of these animals, of up to 20 individuals. We have also seen the occasional lone male. Since then, our sightings of them have been much rarer. … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature | Tagged battue, French wildlife, hunting, sangliers, SW France, wild boar | 10 Comments

Orchids in SW France

Posted on 26/04/2018 by nessafrance

If my memory is correct, we first saw our house here in SW France 21 years ago today. The weather was glorious, as it has been recently – very welcome after a gloomy few months. In 1997, we noticed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature | Tagged common orchids, orchids, orchids of SW France, SW France, Tarn-et-Garonne, wild orchids | 27 Comments

Getting the Garden Back in Trim

Posted on 18/04/2018 by nessafrance

What a lovely time of year this is when the weather is fine! At last, after months of gloom and damp, the past few days have been not just spring like, but summery. It’s forecast to continue for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Nature | Tagged garden tools, gardening, gardening in France, geraniums, spring, spring flowers, weeds | 20 Comments

Shaken, and Probably Stirred: Earthquakes in France

Posted on 19/02/2018 by nessafrance

Have you ever been in an earthquake? I have, when we lived in Birmingham, and it was a very odd experience. I must admit that it wasn’t a very big one and there was no danger of the house collapsing, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Nature | Tagged Earthquakes, Earthquakes in France, France, Lambesc earthquake, Ruisseau de Caudesaygues, seismic zones in France, Southwest France | 21 Comments

Tree Pests: Pine Processionary Caterpillars

Posted on 31/03/2017 by nessafrance

I trained my binoculars on the tree and zoomed in. My suspicions were confirmed. There was no doubt that the beginnings of a white cocoon about halfway up were the work of pine processionary caterpillars. If you look closely, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature | Tagged caterpillar cocoons, garden pests, nature, Pine Processionary Caterpillar, Pine Processionary Moth, pine trees, SW France, tree pests | 8 Comments

Opération Escargot

Posted on 24/04/2016 by nessafrance

France’s cuisine was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status in 2010, when it was included in the list of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage. Why “intangible”? Good food might be a consolation for the soul, but it’s also a feast for most … Continue reading →

Posted in Food/drink/recipes, Nature | Tagged escargots, food, French cuisine, gastropods, héliciculture, rural life, snail breeding, snails, SW France | 22 Comments

Badgers in the Bush?

Posted on 10/04/2016 by nessafrance

Like most people, we have a part of our garden of which we are less than proud. It’s where we dump grass cuttings, leaves and other garden rubbish that we don’t put in the compost bins. Fortunately, it’s shielded by … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged badgers, blaireaux, French wildlife, frost, nature, rainfall, rural life, SW France, Weather | 11 Comments

The First Cuckoo?

Posted on 27/03/2016 by nessafrance

Happy Easter, Joyeuses Pâques à tout le monde. Easter this year has coincided with the clocks going forward for summertime and, I think, the first cuckoo. When I hung out of the window this morning listening to the birdsong, I … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Nature | Tagged birds' eggs, birdsong, brood parasites, cuckoo, first cuckoo, migratory birds, spring, summertime, SW France | 14 Comments

Where Have All the Small Birds Gone?

Posted on 06/03/2016 by nessafrance

Yesterday, we stopped by our retired farmer neighbour’s place for a chat. We remarked that it would be only a matter of weeks before the cuckoo, the first of the migratory birds, arrives. We love hearing that piping sound, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged birdlife, birdsong, climate, cuckoo, frost, migratory birds, nightingale, rainfall, SW France, swallow, Weather | 15 Comments

When the Weather is Springlike in Autumn

Posted on 06/11/2015 by nessafrance

I’m in the throes of the literary lunacy called National Novel Writing Month, and creating my second Corsica novel. This is not an easy task and it is made doubly difficult by the phenomenally warm weather we have experienced during the … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged autumn, climate, drought, mante réligieuse, Najac, praying mantis, rainfall, SW France, Weather | 7 Comments

Autumn Colours

Posted on 31/10/2015 by nessafrance

This autumn the colours are magnificent, made all the more vivid and luminous by the exceptionally warm weather for the end of October. A brisk, but warm, wind from the south has chased away the clouds and polished the sky … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Places | Tagged autumn, autumn colours, autumn leaves, berries, rural life, seasons, SW France, Tarn-et-Garonne, Weather | 10 Comments

SW France Summer Weather 2015

Posted on 07/10/2015 by nessafrance

We had a great holiday on Corsica a couple of weeks ago. And it was a good thing we went then, because we had nice weather for the most part. One week later and it would have been quite different: … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged autumn, autumn colours, climate, Corsica, rainfall, summer, SW France, Weather | 7 Comments

Stirring Up a Hornet’s Nest

Posted on 11/08/2015 by nessafrance

I lifted the trapdoor into the loft of our pigeonnier with infinite care. On the ceiling, right over my head were the unmistakable signs of very unwanted summer visitors, accompanied by a tell-tale buzzing. I shut the trapdoor fast and … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Nature | Tagged bees, frelons, honey bees, hornet's nest, hornets, pest control, summer, SW France, wasps | 5 Comments

Another Seasonal Hazard in SW France: Mosquitoes

Posted on 27/07/2015 by nessafrance

Here’s another seasonal hazard: mosquitoes. I am their favourite meal. There are several reasons for that (see below) and they are becoming more of a pest down here. Do you have blood group O? Do you have a high metabolic … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Rants | Tagged anti-histamines, chikungynya, dengue fever, insect repellent, insects, mosquitoes, moustiques, rural life, summer, SW France, tiger mosquito | 22 Comments

Noises Off on a Country Evening

Posted on 30/06/2015 by nessafrance

The poor old blog has been sorely neglected of late. The trouble is that there’s this pesky thing called work, a necessary evil that keeps me away from what I really want to do. And it’s nearly always at its … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Nature | Tagged countryside, farming, living in France, rural life, rural noises, summer, SW France, traffic noise | 8 Comments

Hares

Posted on 14/06/2015 by nessafrance

You don’t often see them, since they are shy creatures and hide in the long grass. But at this time of year, once the hay has been cut, you’re more likely to see a hare around here. I love our rare … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature | Tagged hares, hunting, lièvre, rabbits, rural life, SW France | 12 Comments

The Biggest Moth in Europe

Posted on 13/05/2015 by nessafrance

Living in the comparatively unspoilt French countryside, one comes to appreciate the richness and variety of the wildlife. How about this for a wingspan? 14 cm is not very big compared to an A380 but when you’re a moth it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature | Tagged Great Emperor Moth, Great Peacock Moth, Largest European moth, Moths, Petit Paon de Nuit, Saturnia pyri, SW France | 9 Comments

Cuckoos, Birdsong and SW France Weather March 2015

Posted on 05/04/2015 by nessafrance

Bonnes Pâques à tout le monde. I had hoped to report the cuckoo’s arrival, but it’s dragging its heels (or whatever cuckoos have) this year. A friend 10 km to the south said it had arrived over a week … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged cuckoo, first cuckoo, frost, hoopoe, rainfall, spring, SW France, Weather, Weather in SW France March 2015 | 11 Comments

Woodpeckers and Weather: January 2015 in Southwest France

Posted on 02/02/2015 by nessafrance

This is the acrobatic great spotted woodpecker that manages to cling onto the fat balls we hang out during cold weather (the red splodge on its head marks it out as a male). We haven’t seen this for several years, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged climate, frost, Great spotted woodpecker, January weather SW France, rainfall, snow, SW France, Weather | 8 Comments

Weather in Southwest France August 2014

Posted on 04/09/2014 by nessafrance

We are currently enjoying a glorious Indian summer with wall-to-wall blue skies and sunshine. And what better way to illustrate it than with a photo of our hoopoe friends, who will shortly be departing – more of them below. What … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Nature, Weather | Tagged climate, hoopoes, Indian summer, rainfall, summer, SW France, SW France weather August 2014, Weather | 12 Comments

Wildlife and Weather: June 2014 Update

Posted on 08/07/2014 by nessafrance

Visitors who are used to the constant hum of city life sometimes ask us, “Don’t you find it a bit quiet here?” The answer is no. I’ve never been a city-dweller by temperament and much prefer la France profonde. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged climate, rainfall, rural life, SW France, Weather, Weather in SW France, wildlife | 4 Comments

Hoopoes and SW France Weather April 2014

Posted on 11/05/2014 by nessafrance

Some of our summer visitors are quite exotic. The golden orioles are rarely seen, except as flashes of yellow and black in the treetops, but they make their presence known with parrot-like caws and whistles. The hoopoes are distinguished by … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Weather | Tagged frost, golden oriole, hoopoe, migratory birds, rainfall, Saints de Glace, SW France, SW France weather | 13 Comments

Nightingales in Southwest France

Posted on 25/04/2014 by nessafrance

I heard the first nightingale of the year on Wednesday. Other people say they have been around for a couple of weeks but they seem to arrive later and later chez nous in recent years. The unmistakable sliding, virtuoso … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature | Tagged migratory birds, nightingale, Rossignol, RSPB, SW France | 14 Comments

Spring in Southwest France

Posted on 14/04/2014 by nessafrance

Well, this year it’s easy to tell it’s arrived. The weather has generally been lovely in April – with the occasional off-day. More often, April is cold and windy. The fine weather has brought everything out early and many … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Nature | Tagged asparagus, cuckoo, garriguettes, hoopoe, nightingale, respounchous, spring, SW France | 19 Comments

Heart of Oak

Posted on 28/02/2014 by nessafrance

When you live in a place for long enough, you start to take the landscape a little for granted. But if you stop and look a while, you ask yourself how it would be without all those trees clothing the … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Nature | Tagged fôret de Grésigne, oak trees, Quercus robur, SW France, truffle oaks, truffles | 7 Comments

Woodpeckers!

Posted on 14/01/2014 by nessafrance

We have vandals in la France profonde but they aren’t the human variety. After the ravages of deer, wild boar and moles – next up are woodpeckers. The first three have confined themselves to destroying the garden (bad enough); not … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Nature | Tagged birdlife, Great spotted woodpecker, Green woodpecker, rural life, SW France, woodland, woodpeckers | 12 Comments