Cyn's Nature Notes: Spring Highways and Byways

Monday 26 April 2010

Spring Highways and Byways

We are on our way to Reading, it is a beautiful bright sunny day, 13 degrees. The roadside verges are speckled with dandelions and daisies, and right on the road edge I saw a clump of coltsfoot with more than ten golden yellow flowers lifting their faces to the sun and bringing an instant smile to my face. Near Hertford we passed the largest area of celandines I think I have ever seen, glowing brightly in the spring sunlight. Many trees are now wearing their fresh green spring coats, along the roadsides there are lots of beautiful white blossom trees --- sloe, I think, dazzling forsythias crowd spectacularly over garden fences and here and there an early cherry blossom stands out pinkly and proudly amongst the other trees, in places the yellow flowers of gorse, shine out brightly from great big bushes of darkly green black prickly foliage. The pussy willows are big fat golden balls of pollen and the catkins dangle enticingly, waiting for the wind to catch them and blow their pollen on to the tiny red female flowers, tucked tightly against the hazel stems. Sycamores are bursting their big fat red buds and out of them are unfolding the most magical green and shiny leaves.

I feel blessed by the warmth of the sun today, as its welcome rays reach through the car window; we haven’t seen enough sun for the last few months. Someone gave me some frog and toad spawn I bore it gently and happily home splitting it between the two ponds and three very large containers, a little in each. Within days I noticed a blackbird balanced on one of the silver birch branches placed across and just under the water of the pond, these branches were placed there firstly because I read they help to keep the water fresh and secondly more were added to enable the birds to drink and bathe more easily, but this blackbird was using them to eat the frogs spawn nearby, fortunately when I checked the day before I found most of the tadpoles had already left their jelly ball homes.

There are long stretches and clumps of narcissus along the road verges, they are a joy to see. I love it when people put them on the outer edges of their boundaries and even opposite their homes; they are such a bright and welcome sight. I first did this more than 45 years ago when we moved to this area, and have kept it up whenever we have moved. I have had so much pleasure from the blooms and hope passersby have also enjoyed their yellow springtime splendour.

The willow trees are breathtakingly beautiful at the moment with their long streamers of fresh green and just showing through them is the dark shape and form of their branches and trunks. While the tall trees are still bare look out for large round clumps of hanging mistletoe dangling from the upper branches, this used to be quite a rare sight but has now become quite common and can easily be spotted at the moment. Primroses are abundant now, but keep an eye open for early cowslips just appearing, an old name for these pretty flowers is peggles.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.