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Snowdrops

Over the past few years I have tried to photograph wild flowers in season and one of the first to show is the snowdrop. Often out during January in favourable spots, February and early March are usually the time to go looking for them. Their appearance was widely regarded in the past as a symbol of hope that the spring would come again after the harshness of winter.   I soon realised that they were a common sight in churchyards and this may be explained by their use during the celebration of Candlemas on February 2nd.  Candelmas was the feast of Purification of the Virgin Mary, being forty days after Christ's birth. Snowdrops, with their heads lowered as if in humility, were an appropriate symbol and this tiny lily was planted in churchyards. Many of the mass displays that can be enjoyed today are at the site of former Abbeys and monastic houses such as the National Trust's Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire and Walsingham Abbey in Norfolk. Many places now organise snowdrop walks so it is worth checking out your local paper for details over the coming weeks.   To date I have photographed the snowdrops around this date in Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Wiltshire but would love to know just how widely spread the appearance of this flower is by Candlemas.

Spring into summer

There was no way we were going to pass up the chance to go for a pootle yesterday with the first really warm and spring like day we have had. Aiming for a National Trust property that didn't open until 2 meant we had plenty of time to explore villages on the way and were delighted to find all the churches open. Found plenty of interest from decorative tiling to an intriguing gravestone and with walking around each village in search of other treasures as well we didn't arrive until 2 and still had our picnic to consume before we visited the house and grounds.   Eating a picnic out of doors rather than huddled in the car for the first time this year enabled us to watch the antics of a variety of bee species exploring the violets that abounded in the picnic area. The huge bumble bees weighed the delicate violets right down to the ground but they sprung up as soon as the bee moved on. We watched a tiny beetle climb right to the top of a blade of grass and then fly off. All these things that generally go on quite unnoticed.   The grounds of the house were a mass of daffodils, some as tall as the toddlers that wandered through them at snail pace despite the entreaties of their parents. It made a wonderful cheerful splash of colour and made you feel spring was really here at last. Before we headed home we went into the nearby village and down to the banks of the Thames where we watched a pair of swans enjoying a Jacuzzi thanks to the water rushing through the weir. Every now and then they stretched up to flap their wings and then settled back to put their feathers in place. Curtains of pale green willow hung down and diffused the bright sunlight and it all felt wonderful.   Returning to our car we were absolutely amazed to see not one but two swallows perched on the telephone cables. Not having a telephoto lens I hesitated to even attempt a photo but did manage to get a distant shot just to prove what we saw. Looking back at our records for last year it was another two weeks before we saw swallows in our own village only about thirty miles away. So one swallow may not make a summer but how about two?   Calling in at the shops on our way home I checked some magazines I had recently submitted letters to - something I do whenever I have had a week with no submissions at all - and was delighted to see one of my letters in TV Times. It was even better to receive a message from Susan later that evening letting me know about the letter in case I had missed it. What a great ending to a really special day.   Today has been just as sunny but other things have occupied out time although we did get out for a short walk and found plenty more flowers to photograph and I also got some shots of various trees in flower.

Heritage Coast

After two long weekends spent helping our son with decorating and the week between spent dealing with various appointments and so on we are back home for a while and able to return to some form of normality.   Despite a heavy schedule of decorating tasks to tackle at the weekend we did spend some time exploring the beautiful and generally overlooked Heritage Coast south of the M4 near Bridgend. Driving round by Ogmore Castle with the stepping stones nearby for crossing the river we came across a Village Sign. This was one of those decorative signs erected by the community rather than a council sign and proved to be one of three along this stretch of coast. We have been photographing these signs for almost twenty years after spotting them in East Anglia where they originated and indeed where they are now very common. In Wales there are few examples so it was great to find these.   Although it was sunny the wind was very strong so we had a bracing walk along the river bank before driving on to where it meets the sea. Lovely beaches, numerous walks available and all relatively quiet. A real calm in busy weekend.

The healing power of plants

A recent stay in South Wales saw us exploring the market town of Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan. We have visited before and it is a delightful little town with plenty of lovely old buildings and shops as in many old market towns. On our last visit there was news of a physic garden being developed and we were keen to see how this had developed. This was clearly a very good time of year to visit. The paths were edged with lavender and the scent from the flowers and buzz of the bees were the first impressions received. The central area of the garden, however, has been laid out in beds, each devoted to a group of plants thought to aid various medical conditions and improve the functions of various parts of the body. These included lungs, bones, skin and hair, kidneys and heart. There were also plants to aid childbirth and nerves. A number of the plants we would consider wild flowers including St John's Wort and Comfrey. These we had also seen flowering in the hedgerows of the area so the garden not only reflects the past but also has links to the present. Many modern preparations include these plants in their production too. The monasteries once had gardens for medicinal herbs but after their dissolution other gardens were developed, the most famous being the Chelsea Physic Garden. Today there are a number of these gardens around the country, many like the Cowbridge example, of recent planting. Linking plants together in this way makes a wonderful display for any garden and could easily be adopted as a plan for a domestic garden. Many of us have areas devoted to herbs, and herbs feature largely in these physic gardens too, but the addition of the wider range of plants is very colourful indeed.   (Still no access to my photo software so no pictures at present)

Natural confusion

I suspect that we are not the only people to find our garden is reeling under yet another confusing bout of weather here in the UK. This time last year we struggled with low temperatures and snow and now we have just had the mildest period for ages and plants are springing into life. We have honesty in bloom, the nemesias that normally bloom most of the year but take time off from late November to early March are still going strong and our newly planted apple tree is in full leaf.   The apple tree was planted at the end of October. Supplied as a bare-rooted tree the instructions told us to prune anytime between November and February to achieve the style of tree required. As our garden is small we wanted to make this a cordon tree like the others we have but this tree immediately developed buds and is now really green. The instructions say not to prune whilst it is still active so I can see the shape being left as it is until next year at this rate. Meanwhile, when we do get a bad spell it will presumably lose its leaves and maybe suffer dire consequences to boot.   Some years we fail to have daffodils in bloom for March 1st, St David's Day, for OH but this year, if the trend continues, I can see them being almost over by that date. Reading diaries and books from earlier ages, however, shows this is nothing new. Francis Kilvert often commented on unusual weather in his diary from the Nineteenth centry and Gilbert White, the parson naturalist did the same. If nothing else, perhaps we should record these unusual events for future generations to look back on. I recall a member of a WI group I belonged to showing us a diary she had kept for well over half a century. Each day she just commented on the weather and which flowers were in bloom in the garden or round about. A farmer's wife, she often travelled around the district and just wrote down her thoughts. We tried to persuade her to get it published but I don't believe she ever did. I'd love to know what happened to this priceless archive. Today there are organisations that appeal for such material and there have been several such collections published over the years including the Diary of an Edwardian Lady which also made it to TV. Sometimes the difficulty is persuading people their contribution is of value - but then that is a problem for writers the world over.

The Benefits of Conservation

No doubt when the various bodies involved in the conservation of historic sites set about their task the consideration of the natural world is not a high priority yet we are acutely aware on our travels that these sites are often the best for observing wild-life, especially of a floral nature.   The steep banks of castle mounds for example allow a multitude of species to flourish and the ruins themselves support a wide range of opportunistic plants. On one site we recorded over thirty species that we could identify easily and there were others that will take some more research to name with confidence. One thing that becomes obvious when looking outside your own location is the diversity of flowers that grow in this country, some growing only within a very restricted geographical area. Whilst I am reasonably confident naming plants locally a trip of only fifty miles can produce a number of puzzles to solve.   The flowers are the obvious indicators of the benefits of these historic sites but they in turn support insects, birds and small mammals. Without these areas free from pesticides and other human activity there would be many more species of flora and fauna at risk.   Next time you visit a castle or even a stately home look around for signs of nature. Don’t overlook the obvious species such as daisy and clover but look out for others, too. We have found a camera an excellent tool. When locating an unknown flower taking a quick photo usually provides sufficient information to make an accurate identification from a field guide at our leisure. In fact a camera is becoming as indispensible as a notebook on our travels and is used for far more than simply an aide memoire.

Bird-brained? I don't think so.

We have had heavy falls of snow over the weekend, as bad as we had back in January, and it has severely curtailed activity as we can't get out of the village again. Sadly it meant we missed our annual Santa Steam Railway trip with the grnadchildren but at least they were able to attend. This morning OH topped up the bird feeders and was trying to think of a way to keep the starlings from eating all the meal worms before the robin and blue tits got a look in. I suggested maybe an upturned hanging basket would allow small birds in and out but foil the starlings. Well it did for about two hours. One in particular spent ages sitting and looking at the dish from all angles trying to find a way in. Having eventually forced his way in the top he had a good feed and then hopped out the side. As if he couldn't believe it he hopped back inside. Then another one came along and after a struggle joined him - through the top. Finally one of them tipped the tray over leaving meal worms that could be accessed from outside! It  was fascinating to watch them crack the problem even if it did mean the robin still missed out. The pictures were taken through the window so are not very sharp but give an idea of events.

It all counts

Like thousands of others around the country we have been counting the birds in our garden for RSPB annual garden bird count this weekend. This is something we have been involved in for many years and it serves to highlight the changes happening in the bird world locally as well as contributing to the national figures.   We feed the birds regularly and put out a variety of foods in different locations around our small patch hoping to cater for as many species as possible. During the course of the past year we have seen a sparrowhawk, magpies and jays in the garden. Collared doves pay regular visits, a lesser spotted woodpecker has graced our peanut feeder and we have seen long-tailed tits on a number of occasions, usually in some numbers as is their habit. So why is it that when we settle down to count them for a whole hour on a single day many of them fail to turn up - not just these unusual visitors but the ones who appear almost daily? This year we did two counts at different times of day and on the two days to see if timing made any difference.   On each day we have seen blackbird, sparrow, starling, blue tits and the robin. The collared doves sat looking down at us from the electicty wires that cross a neighbouring property throughout each of our vigils but did not call in and the great tit, a regular, has not been seen all weekend. We did see the wren and a pied wagtail today, the latter a rare bird in the back garden although often seen on the front drive.   It is not just a case of spotting different species but also the greatest numbers at any one time of each species. Suffice to say that our maximum of seven starlings was massively eclipsed by the flock that came down to feed whilst we ate lunch yesterday and the sparrows came through in droves after our count today. Just how do they know when we are doing this count because this is not an unusual situation. It happens every year.   I don't know at what time others do their count. I am sure in the early days when we did it with our children the suggestion was to do it early in the day, at least before ten. We have tried early and late counts and others mid-morning or afternoon but always the number of species and the number of each species seems lower than our expectation.   If you have never had a go at this survey do give it a go another year. Spending time watching birds allows you to focus and to observe things that must go on daily outside of our general consciousness. Birds, like people, have very different characters and bird watching like people watching can offer inspiration.

Eye to the detail

Yesterday we were back at Blenheim enjoying a brisk walk in the grounds. As this has become a regular occurrence I am sometimes challenged to find new things to photograph (and afford myself a brief rest following the steep parts of the walk.) Spring seemed an obvious choice and I started off with daffodils and some sheep (sadly no lambs as yet in this flock) but then opted for looking in detail at the trees.   The Park is full of ancient trees and many are simply hollowed trunks with branches at odd angles. Others are in their prime and my first thought was to photograph the different bark patterns of the trees. Oak, Ash, Beech, Horse Chestnut and Silver Birch offered plenty of options and I took several of each. Then we began seeing shapes in the gnarled bark and splintered branches and located a “crocodile” with no difficulty. An eye of major proportions and a grimacing face peered out of the bark of a couple of other trees.   Of course one of the beauties of the walk is the abundance of wildlife. You can certainly hear plenty and the chiff chaff kept teasing us with his call although we never glimpsed him once. The Park has many pheasants and their call was almost constant and we saw several males strutting their stuff and then scurrying off at our approach. Two males facing up to each other however, were too full of other thoughts to disappear and I managed several shots of their attacks on one another. Later we were to see coots on the lake in equally combative mode but the best sighting for us was a single Little Grebe. At first he was quite close to shore but he soon drifted off and by the time I had the camera ready he was really too far out... and then he dived as I took the picture. Guessing where he was to resurface was not easy but I did get a distant shot in the end at least to remind us that we really did see him.   All in all it was a great walk, we met some pleasant people to chat to or pass the time of day and we explored yet another path we had missed before. There were signs of spring everywhere with a horse chestnut branch just showing the first soft, dangling leaves, violets beneath the beech tress and the sound of birds just some of the signs that spring is on its way.

Even the butterflies are golden

I know the weather had to break sometime but the sunshine of the past week has really lifted the spirits and the change in the countryside has been almost visible in its speed. I always think of the predominant colour as being yellow or golden at this time although the bank of wood anemones, with their white petals and soft pink blush on the underside, is looking pretty good too along our road.   The gardens have their daffodils but the roadside verges sport lesser celandine, dandelion and groundsel whilst the woodland areas have their primroses and even the motorway banks have displays of cowslips, planted when the road opened over twenty years ago and now well established. Cowslips used to be common in the countryside but they suffered a massive decline and the planting of these patches along stretches of road have done much to bring them back. I recall a talk given by Molly Harris, Martha of The Archers, when she discussed the making of cowslip wine by villagers in the past. I suspect it is the use of herbicides and loss of farming land to building rather than over-zealous production of wine that lead to their decline though. Dandelions and groundsel are, of course, considered weeds when growing in the wrong place and I suspect the local cricket team will need to mow their outfield pretty soon if the dandelions pictured are to be conquered. Meanwhile, they give a lovely glow of colour.   In the garden we have seen lots of butterflies including the buttery yellow Brimstone with its pale green underside to the wings,  and the hedgerows are full of yellow hammers this year, a bird we have seen much less in recent years so hopefully this indicates a boost in their numbers. It has been good to work in the garden, dry the washing with ease out of doors and generally enjoy the warm glow of spring sunshine.

Over and Out

Just a short while ago everywhere you looked the verges and gardens were filled with golden yellow from daffodils and primroses to celandines and dandelions and many other lesser known species too. Last Thursday, in pursuit of a bluebell wood to photograph, we took a short drive and found a patch of hedgerow no longer than a hundred yards that carried over a dozen species. This bordered the bluebell wood that was already carpeted in blue and looking superb in the dappled sunlight. However, although there were many golden species still in bloom the predominance was now for white.   The hawthorn (May) blossom was already in full flower and blackthorn flowers still added to the backdrop. Cow parsley was raising delicate stems with white umbels of flowers giving rise to their popular name of Queen Anne's lace and stitchwort and chickweed added their starry forms to the many shapes and sizes on show. Perhaps the overwhelming display was of Ransoms (wild garlic) and here it was in direct competition to the bluebells for scent and was sadly winning.   If this had been the border in the garden of some stately home it could not have offered more variety of colour and leaf form and there was no denying that all blended together perfectly. No need for garden designers to work their magic. Nature has done it all before.   The recent sunshine has certainly lead to many flowers blooming before their usual time. It has also meant that many have bloomed for only a short period, too. Oxfordshire is home to some of the few remaining fields of wild snake's head fritillaries. One village holds an annual open day at this time and this year that was the Sunday before Easter. By mid week people hoping to see this wonderful spectacle were reduced to searching for scattered specimens across the meadow. They had bloomed, set seed and died in the space of a week. .

Windfalls

Talk about a windfall these days and people probably think of financial gain yet for many country people in particular a windfall offered easy pickings for fruit as the wind had done the picking job for them.   In the past week we have seen several crab apple trees with a sea of red or yellow fruit at the base and in one village a large plum tree with deep purple fruit overhangs to road and was busy dropping its burden yesterday as we passed. Along the canal a round yellow plum attracts a mass of wasps on sunny days but will now have deposited much of the crop on the tow path. No doubt with the strong winds forecast for this week much of the crop of all these trees will become windfalls.   In cider-making country there may be a demand for these apple windfalls and those from trees in the gardens as it takes around 20lb of fruit to create a gallon of juice for cider. Other uses for the fruit include crab apple jelly or chutney.   Fruits from cultivated varieties can be pressed for their juice, combined with blackberries for bramble jelly or even bottled. I recall seeing shelves of bottled preserves when I visited a great aunt at the country residence where she was cook and her husband the gardener. It was a colourful sight.   Summer holidays were spent largely at the home of a maiden aunt. In the garden were several dessert apple trees, a cherry, a pear and a Victoria plum tree and two large Bramley apple trees whose branches were far too high for safe picking and the fruit regularly fell to the ground towards the end of the summer holiday and attracted the wasps. My aunt used to encourage local families to come and fill bags with the windfalls to save them going to waste. I can remember being very indignant when some of the children picked apples from the tree as well as picking up fallers but my aunt was happy to turn a blind eye! She made wonderful apple pies and preserved what she could but there was no way she could keep pace with the quantity. Her plum jam was also a delight and quite unlike the bright red version supplied by the local grocer.

Season of mists...

This year the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is fulfilling its promise in abundance. Many mornings have seen the mistiness that leaves tree tops severed from their trunks. Back in early September I blogged about windfalls from a crab apple tree that has a yellow fruit and today I was able to take photographs of the branches laden with red fruit on an old favourite near our home. Back in April I took shots of the blossom which was really exceptional so it is not surprising that the tree has such a wonderful crop. People often say lots of fruit and berries means a harsh winter ahead but it is far more likely to result from conditions the previous spring than be a foreteller of doom.   Back in the garden we only have room for a couple of cordon apples but the fruit, although not great in number, has been far larger and with a superb flavour. A nearby garden has a quince tree, a fruit we have never tried. In years of abundance such as this a basket of quinces is always displayed for passers-by to help themselves and we have never done so but this year we have selected just a few fruits and, thanks to studying old recipe books and a number of articles in magazines, we are about to venture on some quince jelly. Not quite sure when we'll get the chance but will keep you posted. For those also in the dark about this once popular fruit a quince looks vaguely pear shaped but is harder like an apple and is not really eaten raw although some folk-lore suggests Greek brides did so to sweeten their breath. The simplest recipe I have found suggests simply cutting the fruit into small pieces and simmering to soften. Then straining and adding sugar, boiling again until a set is achieved. Other recipes include the rind and juice of a lemon. Anyone had any experience with making quince jelly?

Spring in the air?

The sun streaming through the windows this morning meant we just had to abandon routine and get out for a walk. A fairly stiff breeze but one to blow the cobwebs away rather than hinder progress. The recycling banks for our village are housed on the edge of the playing field so we headed that way first and then took a walk around taking in the signs of life that seem to emerge in sunshine.   The field alongside the playing field was filled with sheep and no doubt it won't be too long before we see lambs there too. At least it seemed a hopeful sign to see them grazing happily closer to home. Walking on a round it was amazing just how bright the colours were in the low sun. Even the lichen on the branches, a sure sign of clean air, were vivid shades of lime and sage green and the ivy that covered many of the older elder and hawthorn bushes that form the hedge around the field carried masses of dark berries.   It doesn't take much to lift the spirits and as we are promised more of the same tomorrow hopefully we will be free to venture further afield.

Signs of Spring

Sunshine tempted us to do some gardening yesterday. Aiming to cut back dogwood and buddleias we discovered all sorts of things beginning to stir into life. The hellebores are holding their heads above their old leaves so will be removing those to set the flowers off better in a day or two. Crocuses were open in the shelter of the patio and even the daffodils were developing buds now. They were late coming through but a few warmer days and they will soon make up for it. When they appear it makes you want to stretch up your head and enjoy the sunshine, too, so after a morning spent gardening we set out for the walk.   Apart from hazel catkins in the hedgerows the trees seem quite reluctant to welcome a seasonal change as yet. The buds on the ash, the distinctive black spade-shaped buds, were still firmly closed but stood out well viewed against the clear blue sky. We even found a few daisies open but it cannot be spring as yet because we were unable to tread on seven at a time.   I wonder if anyone else has come across this definition of spring. At school a retired art teacher returned to cover for a teacher who had an accident. One day she delighted us by telling us how she and our revered deputy head teacher had studied the lawn in her garden looking for a patch of seven daisies that could be covered by a single footprint. When you could do that, she assured us, spring is surely here.  As you can see something did stick in my mind from her words of wisdom! I have never heard the idea anywhere else but would love to know if others know of this or indeed other ways of determining the return of spring.

Spring has come - and gone again!

Up until last weekend we had been enjoying the unfolding of spring in the garden. The winter jasmine was in its final flourish and was being outshone by the forsythia with its more garish yellow blooms. Daffodils had opened in advance of St David's Day, unlike last year when the snow still lingered to stunt their growth. A few violets, crocuses and anemone blanda's were adding the purple/blue hues to the scene and all seemed full of hope.   Come the weekend and our son visited and agreed to help OH to trim back the flowering cherry that was heading for the electricity wires beyond our property and spreading over neighbouring properties. After much time spent locating ladder and tools within a very short time we had a pollarded cherry tree, the budding branches spread around the lawn. Well, if it survives it will be some time before that job needs doing again.   Attention was turned to a few shrubs that showed signs of winter wear. Many of these are also reduced to stumps and the fence they once disguised is laid bare once more. Now we give this treatment to the buddleia every year - and it grows again with renewed vigour. The passion flower is treated similarly and most years it achieves its fifteen foot full height and masses of flowers as before. Last year was the exception. Maybe the cold had got to the roots. However, do all shrubs survive such drastic treatment? We shall see. Meanwhile we contemplate large areas of bare earth and the birds have been deprived on perches and shelter on what today is a bitingly cold and windy day despite the sunshine.   Has all the hope gone? By no means. The daffodils continue to open and brave the strong wind. No wonder they have inspired so many poets.

Who's counting?

This coming weekend is the annual Big Bird Count for the RSPB. We have been taking part in this for many years, the first of several natural history counts we have participated in. In recent years we have recorded butterflies for Butterfly Conservation and undertaken two surveys for Mammals Trust, one recording sightings and evidence for mammals at our local playing field for the period April to June and this is followed by the longer established survey of road kills. Here you record animals (dead or alive) seen on road trips of over twenty miles and this is done from July to September. Only recording in daylight hours it is still advisable for the driver not to be the spotter on these trips!   Not quite sure what we will record this year for the bird count though. In our front garden a single blackbird has almost taken up residence in the pyracantha in order to keep all the berries for his personal larder. In the back garden we rarely see more than a few sparrows, a couple of robins and occasional starlings, collared doves and jackdaws. We did see a wren one day last week and we hear the call quite often if in the garden but the undergrowth hides them well.   The lack of birds is most likely due to the mild weather as this means food is plentiful and they don’t venture into gardens and to bird feeders so readily. We put out a variety of foods and have feeders in different locations but it makes little difference it seems. One thing that may be deterring them is the unusual open nature of the garden – until today that is. Before Christmas a panel of the fence blew down exposing us to the full view down the farmyard beyond. We arranged for a local chap to do the repairs “as and when” and that may have been a mistake. Related to the farmer who he knew was not fussed by the lack of fence in this instance the job has been put off and put off until last weekend a new post appeared whilst we were out shopping.   At various times during the past week the coping stones have been replaced. Bracing brackets have appeared on the remaining sections of fence and today, equally as mysteriously the fence is back in place. If we hadn’t caught the odd glimpse of a retreating figure we may well have blamed the little folk for the work. The lack of fence has left us even more vulnerable to the various cats that reside in every building around us and their presence may well be deterring the birds. Let’s hope they realise in time that a relative haven has now been restored complete with first class restaurant.

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