The Natural History of Selborne

Jasmine in warm aspects begins to blow.

My brother’s gardeners plant-out annuals.  The ground is well moistened.  They prick-out young cabbages, celeri, &c.

About Newton men were cutting their St foin: & all the way towards London their upland meadows, many of which, notwithstanding the drought, produce decent crops.  We had a dusty, fatiguing journey.  Bro Thos. has made his hay; & his fields are much burnt-up.

Grey, sprinkling, gleams with thunder.  Wavy, curdled clouds, like the remains of thunder.

In Richd Bulter’s garden there is a Fly-catcher’s nest built in a very peculiar manner, being placed on a shelf that is fixed against the wall of an out-house, not five feet from the ground;  & behind the head of an old rake lying on the shelf.  On the same spot a pair of the same birds built last year; but as soon as there were young the nest was torn down by a cat.

Men have a fine season for their turnip-fields, which work very well, & are well pulverized.

 in Alton

Captain Dumaresque cuts his St foin.

Began to tack the vines; they are again infested with the cotton-like appearance which surrounds the eggs of the Coccus vitis viniferae…. for some account of this insect, see my Journal for summer last 1785.

Daws from the church take the chafers on my trees, & hedges.  Thomas picks the caterpillars that damage the foliage of the apricot-trees, & roll up their leaves.

Potted nine tall balsams, & put the potts in a sunk bed. Dragon-flies have been out some days. The oaks in many places are infested with caterpillars of the Phalaena quercus to such a degree as to be quite naked of leaves. These palmer-worms hang down from the trees by long threads. The apple-trees at Faringdon are annoyed by an other set of caterpillars that strip them of all their foliage. My hedges are also damaged by the caterpillars.