Cyn's Nature Notes: Papworth and Back and Snowdrops

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Papworth and Back and Snowdrops

Traveled to Papworth today, along the A414, A10 and the A1198, through a typically English landscape; how glad I am to live in this green and pleasant land.

We passed rows of poplars, which even in their deciduous state are still stately and eye-catching. Bordering the roadside were a variety of trees and shrubs most of them winter bare, sometimes thickly knitted together, other times quite sparse and there were even stretches devoid of any tree or shrub.

Two of my favourites were the old, gnarled and lichen covered hawthornes, with here and there a winter darkened berry still attached, and also silver birches, their white trunks shining brightly amidst the often dingy, leafless shrubbery surrounding them on these dismal days, their tiny new catkins just forming.

We also saw many of my very favourite tree, the oak in all its stages, my heart always sings when I see a sapling oak and I know with a little luck it will be standing in hundreds of years to come, supporting so many life forms both directly and indirectly. To look across a field and see one of these venerable old trees standing so solidly, looking so beautiful and being such a support system is a treasured moment.

Just before Royston, the road is banked on either side and the ground covered by ivy, as we pass I wonder about the tiny creatures living amongst the ivy, sheltered by its leaves and hidden from our view.

The catkins are really long now and delicately yellow, such a joy to see. There is something so precious about a hazel catkin, I find a whole bush of them breathtakingly beautiful. It is the same feeling I have, as when I see my first primrose.Yesterday I checked the garden for them, no sign. Last year they were out long before now.

I found many, many clumps of snowdrops, such a delicate little flower, and yet so strong to push its way out of the cold, hard, wet ground, continue growing and to then flower in the worst of weather. Their delicate looks belie their immense strength.

I was delighted to see a kestrel hovering above the verge on the A1198, the second one I have seen recently.

Dusk was falling as we drove home and just out of Papworth, our car headlamps picked out a muntjac deer munching the grass on the verge, he was dangerously close to the road. I wonder how many other people noticed him and saw how vulnerable he was.

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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.