Talkback: Wildlife and wild death

Gardeners' World Web User

I wondered if anyone else uses the beautiful tall structural plant cephalaria in their wild life gardens. They have large pale lemon scabious type flowers and bees just love them, often several bees seem attracted to just one flower head. I grow them in my sunny gravel bed with stipa gigantica - a lovely plant combination

Gardeners' World Web User

I've got two rat skulls decorating a pot. I found them side by side in my garden. No other bones; just the skulls. I'd love to know why. Now I'm looking out for more. They're quite beautiful.

Gardeners' World Web User

Right concolologirl *_____* also in Georgia O'Keeffe collection of paintings there are plenty, she lived in the desert of Texas all alone! She loved bulls' and horses' skulls so much as you can see that is just one of them and is so awesome & beautiful! Lily

Gardeners' World Web User

There is no telling how old the skull is, it could be 4 or 400 years old, so could have been dumped and buried there long before modern ideas of animal welfare evolved. It was in an area of scrub which looked as if no-one had passed through for at least 50 years.

Gardeners' World Web User

Bones are good, as long as the popularisation of them doesn't mean we inadvertently encourage the trade in killing of the animals for the collection of their skeletons... find it yourself, don't buy it.

Gardeners' World Web User

Kathy, Barnard Castle
commentBox: Moving to the wilds of Teesdale when my twin boys were 9 years old resulted in a collection of sheep skulls. Now 20 years later and in a retirement bungalow I still display 3 skulls in my garden, one with the large horns still attached. My first grandchild eyed them with distrust, not knowing what they were but to be wary of. The dog went bananas!! not knowing his master had collected them as a child.
Only the weether has any detrimental affect on them, I have never seen anything else touch them.

Gardeners' World Web User

I think they are really beautiful! I wonder how the horse ended up in the sandpit; its a bit sad really.

Gardeners' World Web User

Ah hah, i found a skull down the side of my shed in the winter and had an inkling that it might have been a fox skull but my suspicions were unconfirmed. So i'm glad to see those images of your fox skulls that match my mystery skull.
Its currently residing on the window ledge in the conservatory next to a small black vase, they look rather a pleasing ornament together.

Gardeners' World Web User

Cool - I thought I was the only one who appreciated skulls, but your collection is even larger than mine!?!