Spring ?

The weather has been dreadful and the woods are still soaking wet underfoot but the season moves on and the "greening" has begun in earnest with new shoots appearing and buds beginning to open.  Last winter I found a clump of what I thought were Snowdrops growing in a roadside verge just outside Crow Wood and I dug up a clump, split it and planted the clumps around the wood. This year they have flowered and the plants are not Snowdrops at all but Loddon Lilly (Leucojum aestivum), a similar looking plant with a delicate white flower, also known as Snowflakes. It is a native to this country but quite rare and found mainly in Berkshire it seems.

Hearing about my lack of Snowdrops a wooding friend brought me over some to plant from his own wood and with luck these should take quite readily and not be subject to grazing by rabbits. We must have dug in a couple of hundred bulbs in several spots. It is the best time to plant them, when they are still in leaf that is.

My visit today was an opportunity to check for any more storm damage. We have had several trees down over recent weeks but I am glad to say that storm Jorge has had little impact. Not much to see in terms of bird life on this trip but its always a delight to find a Goldcrest feeding near Big Red. I guess they must breed in amongst its dense leaves and this male was in its best feathers, looking dashing.

The first Bluebell shoots appearing

The Loddon Lilly, such a delicate flower

That smart Goldcrest looking for a mate

Planting Snowdrops