Of Gorse!

Tuesday 31st March

Just now on Ashdown Forest the Gorse (Ulex europaeus) is coming into flower which peaks around April although this remarkable shrub can flower all year round.

There is an old saying: when gorse is not in flower, kissing is out of fashion! As if to illustrate the point, this picture was taken late February a couple of years ago.

A member of the pea family, it produces seed pod which crackle and pop in the summer heat to disperse their seeds.

They produce a riot of yellow on large banks, common throughout the Forest and smelling of coconut.A really colourful sight in some spring sunshine and a useful source of early nectar for insects. Gorse is dense and prickly and provides a great shelter for heathland birds which are resident all year round, such as Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata) and Stonechat (Saxicola torquata). The shrub also provides an ideal nesting habitat too.

The birds are all getting very excited with cock birds fighting over territories. As we walked out of the house and on the path just in front of us two Dunnocks (Prunella modularis) were having a right tussle on the ground, totally oblivious to us. If Oz hadn't been on the lead there might have been two less! Normally a shy and unassuming bird, but that what spring does!

Flowers A, B and C

Monday 30th March.

The first thing I see when I looked out of the bedroom window was a Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) staring intently into my garden pond! There are (were?) a few goldfish in there along with some small newts: a nice breakfast snack!

You can spot him in front of the fake geese which are supposed to keep Herons away!

At the top of the lane on the banks either side of it are some Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) or Horse Parsley, which are now coming into flower.

A member of the carrot family, apparently every part of this plant is edible and brought in by the Romans, presumably for this purpose. The stem is like celery, the leaves can be boiled as a green, the flowers can be used like broccoli, the seeds like a spice and even the root is parsnip like. You have to know what you are looking for though as some members of this family are poisonous!

The books say this is a plant mainly found by the coast as it may not be frost hardy though it seems to do OK where I am some 26 miles away from the sea. 

The next plant I have noticed in our alphabet series is Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) which is just coming into flower. A heathland/acid soil specialist with delightful urn-shaped flowers which provide edible berries later in the summer.

Lastly, a delicate woodland flower Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana) has just started to flower on the banks in the sunlight. They form a colourful little clump which gives a great start to the day!

Sunshine Stroll

Friday 27th March

A frosty start again this morning but soon warmed up as the sun rose.

The Lesser Celandines (Ficaria verna) I pass on the bank by the lane I walk down in the mornings don't seem to like the cold as the flowers are mostly closed against the chill. Later on, as the sun warms them they fully open up with rays of bright yellow petals - like a mat of little suns on vibrant green leaves.

This a mainly woodland plant that prefers shade and damp places and is quite common on banks and verges too.

On a closer look I noticed that some flowers had a white base to the petals and wondered if this was some sort of variation or perhaps bleaching as they get older?

Something I really noticed as I entered the wood was the shrill chattering call of a very animated Nuthatch (Sitta europaea). This charming colourful bird which is often a regular visitor to bird feeders, has a wide variety of calls and is the only british bird that climbs down trees headfirst!

If you are able to get out, it's a great time of year for bird watching as they are their most vocal in the spring and you can spot them in the trees before the leaves unfurl.

I also pass near an old and now extended badger sett and have noticed a lot of activity over the past few days as they seem to be rearranging their bedding - no doubt having a spring clean after a long wet winter. 

You can make out a bit of old fur at the entrance of one of the many holes in the bank on top of some freshly excavated soil.

Enjoy the sunshine if you can!

  

Spring Flowers

Thursday 26th March, 2020

So here is my first blog during these exceptional times.

It's just some observations on nature in general as I walk the dog every day around my home. I am fortunate in having Ashdown Forest on my doorstep, however if you are able to walk in any greenspace and woodland at this time of the year, you may be able to notice these things too.

The sun is shining and spring seems to have arrived at last after a long wet winter. It lifts the spirit to be outside in these uncertain times and know that nature is carrying on regardless.

Early spring flowers are coming out, like Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) which you can generally find in deciduous woodlands, taking advantage of the sunlight before the tree canopy blocks out the light,

The air is filled with birdsong in the morning sunshine, with Great Tits (Parus major) with their great variety of calls, perhaps the most common at this time of year being "tea-cher tea-cher"

I also heard a Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) yesterday with its familiar namesake call. Generally these birds overwinter in Africa although some are now resident all year round as our winters become less severe. You can refresh your bird identification and listen to their calls here.

I also had a Brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) visit the garden yesterday in a brilliant flash of yellow. One of the first butterflies to emerge after hibernation and a sure sign spring is on its way. 

Enjoy a walk in isolation or social distancing if you can - it's all happening out there!