Where has Springtime gone? The two horses are still in winter rugs, the ponies are grimly hanging onto their winter woolly jumpers and we are still feeding hay daily. The national radio news last Friday they said that this was "your last chance to got out and enjoy the Bluebells.." ours have not even peaked yet, a good thing as we wondered if they would ever turn up at all!
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| Bluebells who are usually nearly over and gone by mid/end of may are only just coming into bloom. |
The slow start to the growing season means that the bracken and brambles that can taking over in some areas are struggling just as much as everything else giving us time to manage the spread of any unwanted weeds or poisonous plants.
I also noted that the Hawthorn in the hedgerows still had not come into full bloom, and is at least four weeks behind the hedgerows lower down near the river. The Cowparsley is also much thinner and not really in bloom up at 600ft, it looks like our summer is going to be a short affair!
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| 13th May - Hawthorn - still very much asleep! |
BBC Springwatch is tracking the progress of the Hawthorn Bloom across the UK to measure the speed that Springtime is arriving and crossing the country. It will be interesting to see what the results are to see if others have noticed the slow start this year.
Hopefully we see more of these over the coming weeks (and more of that green stuff too!)
...oh and a little thought on "Thorn" Identification
Hawthorn, aka Maythorn or Whitethorn; Leaves appear first, then white flowers. Produces tiny clusters of red "hips" or "haws" that can be made into syrups/jams...but not worth all the effort for what you get after hours of boiling and sieving.
Blackthorn - dark stems where the white flowers (easily confused with the Hawthorn) appear before the leaves giving the shrub a black/white look. Produces grape sized purple Sloe berries.
...oh and a little thought on "Thorn" Identification
Hawthorn, aka Maythorn or Whitethorn; Leaves appear first, then white flowers. Produces tiny clusters of red "hips" or "haws" that can be made into syrups/jams...but not worth all the effort for what you get after hours of boiling and sieving.
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| Hawthorn; spring and autumn |
Blackthorn - dark stems where the white flowers (easily confused with the Hawthorn) appear before the leaves giving the shrub a black/white look. Produces grape sized purple Sloe berries.
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| Blackthorn; spring and autumn |
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