Spring

The warmer sun, longer daylight hours and April showers will bring about major changes in most woods during spring. Buds on the trees will be opening out as insects, which have largely been dormant during the winter months, become active. The forest floor begins to show green, bursting into colour before the trees get their leaves.

Spring wildflowers are almost too numerous to mention, but include; bluebells, wood anemone, wild garlic, lesser celandine, dog’s mercury, red campion, lords and ladies, dog violet, ragged robin, lady’s smock, greater stitchwort, yellow archangel and herb robert. Many of the ground layer plants such as wood sorrel and wild garlic used to be collected for use in salads.

May is the month for insects as many butterflies and moths hatch from their pupae and take advantage of the many spring flowers. Beetles, ants and greenfly collect food whilst bees and wasps start enlarging their nests.

Hedgehogs and other small mammals become active in spring as food becomes plentiful. You may hear the distinctive drumming of the great spotted woodpecker in many woods. If you venture out at dawn you could hear the songs of the robin, cuckoo, blackbird, wood warbler and mistle thrush amongst many others.

Blackthorn is one of the first trees to put on a display of flowers. By the end of spring most of the trees are in full leaf; look out for the flowers of the crab apple, hawthorn, rowan and holly in May and early June, with wild rose, honeysuckle and elder flowering slightly later.

Summer is soon to follow. To predict the summer’s weather, watch the ash and oak trees as they come into leaf and apply this old country adage. Ash before oak, we’re in for a soak Oak before ash, we’re in for a splash