No, not a rant about politics, but an explanation of the love-it-and-hate-it scent of the common hawthorn, or May Tree, also known as whitethorn and quickthorn (Crataegus monogyna). Just now, the roadside hedges are dotted with the linear wands of flowering hawthorn, and if you are on foot…
Tag: spring
Every year, I try to visit at least one beechwood at about this time, when the leaves are like fluttering scraps of lime green taffeta. This year I could only manage a short repeat visit to Lewesdon Hill, and this time, I took my infrared converted camera and…
“Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough, And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide.”– A E Housman – A Shropshire Lad One of my favourite snatches of poetry, dedicated to the wild cherry or gean (Prunus avium), and not…
One of the few densely wooded hills in this part of the world, this is a wonderful spot to visit in May, when the woodland floor is carpeted with bluebells and ferns, and the tree canopy is just bursting into fresh leaf. It’s a bit of a hike…
This is an ongoing project that I hope may form the basis of my ARPS submission in a year or two. I’ve always been attracted by the slow fireworks of unfurling ferns every spring – the lime green, russet and silver colours are very enticing. But the colours…
It can sometimes seem a long haul through the darkness of winter, but come the early spring, my spirits start to lift as nature begins to stir. From the first primroses and snowdrops onwards, there’s something to look forward to, and one of the most eagerly-anticipated is bluebell time.…
Foraging season has started promptly this year: it’s just March and the wild garlic is already big enough to pick. I’ve just collected a bagful to bring home and wash ready for some culinary delights. Later in the year, the local woods will be carpeted in a pungent…
An impression of English sycamore woods in the spring. Blue flowers and a blue sky of subtly different colour. These lesser-known undercliffs are to the East of Lyme Regis, and this is where the old road to Charmouth used to run until it slipped away and had to be…