2017-07-26 04:52 What animals eat daikon leaves?
Y (Kuma's owner)
I grow vegetables in the backyard. I used to grow broad beans but I didn't sow them this year to avoid replant failure. I sowed snow peas, onions and daikons. I found a small space to grow snow peas where I haven't grown broad beans before, so I don't have to worry about replant failure.
Usually, I can expect lots of peas this season but this year is different. Some animals sneak into the backyard veggie patch and eat peas and daikons. I have no idea what kind of animals eat my veggies. It's about once in every three days, I find my veggies are eaten, especially daikons.
Daikon is a very popular vegetable in Japan and I love it. It's a kind of root vegetable, like carrots. You can buy daikon in big cities like the Gold Coast or the area where many Asians live but not in my town. So, the only way to get daikon is to grow them myself. Luckily, one of the famous hardware shops in Australia, Bunnings, sells daikon seeds.
One morning, I saw three kangaroos hopping in the backyard and I found some daikon leaves were eaten. There were two footprints of kangaroos left in the veggie patch. I was wondering if kangaroos had eaten my daikons? There are other animals that eat vegetables around here. Possums love to eat fruit and vegetables as well. I know they live here.
The daikon leaf has tiny prickles. I think snow peas are more delicious than daikon leaves but something seems to love daikons more than snow peas. The Daikon is not a native plant of Australia. I don't know what animals eat daikon as at least I guess that this was the first time to encounter daikon for them. For me it's unlucky, for them it's lucky to know the taste of daikon leaf. Daikon leaf contains plenty of Vitamin C. Maybe it's good for them.
My biggest concern is what are they? This area is a habitat of bandicoots, echidnas, kangaroos, possums and some mice. I think bandicoots eat mostly insects and I don't think they eat daikon. If I could I would like to take a picture of them. Currently, all I can do is put baskets on each daikon seedling.
2017-07-24 23:32 Free Accommodation for Wild Birds 2
Y (Kuma's owner)
Nearly a year ago, my husband made a bird nest box and hung it onto the tree in the backyard.
* Free Accommodations for Wild Birds [Sept.22, 2016]
My husband and I were expecting that some birds were going to use it. I saw two Pale-headed Rosellas visit the nest box quite often but they have never used it. I saw them peeking into the nest box and noticed that the hole of the nest box is too small for them.
The nest box is set on a branch high above the ground and it's not easy to replace it. Then, my husband decided to make the hole bigger without removing it from the branch. He grabbed a reciprocating saw and climbed the ladder. As you can see in the picture, it was quite high.
He made the hole bigger and added a small perch under the hole.
The renovation is done!
= The stylish nest box is for rent! =
One bedroom with high ceiling.
The entrance hole size is just a good enough size to go in and out, and there is a perch for supporting your kids when they leave the nest.
There is a beautiful forest and two water basins near the nest box and a human's house in front. Therefore, there is less chance of attack by aggressive ravens, and a safe place to raise your family.
The humans in the house keep cats but they are indoor cats and you don't have to worry about them.
No bond needed.
Available any time.
2017-07-19 00:28 My Everyday Drawing Challenge
Y (Kuma's owner)
At the end of last month, I decided to draw a picture with coloured pencils everyday at least for 10 minutes because I thought that if I make a strict rule for myself, I am not going to be able to keep it. I think my decision was right, I still draw a picture everyday, sometimes drawing a picture for an hour and sometimes drawing for about 10 minutes, it depends on my mood.
What I understood after I started drawing is coloured pencils can overglaze. I had been believing that only oil painting can overglaze. It depends on the firmness of the lead of a pencil but some types of coloured pencils are good for overlaying.
I have already finished drawing three bird's pictures. I draw the picture using a photo that I have taken but there is an issue. My camera is not so good and it's difficult to see the details of the birds. The pictures I took are mostly low resolution.
I know it's no problem to use pictures on the internet for my practicing at home but if I want to upload the picture that I drew looking at someone's photo to Twitter or somewhere in public, it's illegal. If I could draw a picture well, I would like to use it for my Twitter's header, so I have to use the picture I took. I have never imagined that before I draw pictures, I had to take a fine photo.
The picture below this page is the third picture I drew. I wanted to draw the feet but this bird was walking on the lawn and its feet didn't appear in the photo. I'm going to choose a good photo for the next practicing.
My Everyday drawing challenge is still going on!