The Nature Blog

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

Another sunny day, another nature walk and this time I was very taken by the cuckoo flowers (Cardamine pratensis) I found near a stream. Simple yet effective flowers and there was a veritable carpet of these soft violet blooms along the bank which really helped to add colour to the countryside.

On another note, I found a profusion of Sallow catkins (Salix ), which is exciting for a number of reasons. First off, these catkins are just gorgeous! Look at just how dainty and sculptural they look. I was particularly taken by the way the sun shone on them making them look almost like they were glowing.

Lastly, Sallow is a great food plant for a number of British caterpillars so when you see these catkins it’s well worth remembering to come back and look a month or two later because you can have some nice surprises – like the enormous hawk moth caterpillar I found last Autumn on a sallow.

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photo credit: anemoneprojectors

 

Despite the dreadful weather forecast for the Easter weekend I’m pleased to say that I managed to get out on Easter Sunday and whilst there was a lot of cloud I managed to avoid getting wet.

Signs of spring were everywhere. The streets around where I live are alive with cherry blossom turning the gutters pink, while I also saw my first swallow of the year hunting over farmland in Sussex.

Despite a flock of long-tailed tits driving me to drink as I attempted (and failed) to stalk and photograph them for a good half hour, I was amazed to see so much plant life. This really is one of my absolute favourite times of year as all the plants look so new and fresh and lush.

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) was in bloom and I managed to get a snap of an early bee feeding on the nectar the plant was giving out. It seems that the leaves themselves are just starting to break out of their buds and so should be taking their proper form over the next few weeks.

Silverweed, cleavers and many more wild plants were all seen bursting into growth though those early spring flowers which bring colour (and essential nectar) to the countryside were the real high points for me.

Here are just a few I found on Easter Sunday:

Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)

Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

Common Dog-Violet (Viola riviniana)

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