Author Topic: Signs of Spring  (Read 208696 times)

Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #475 on: 29 January, 2013, 09:20:04 pm »
First Celandine of the year today on a sheltered south-facing bank in Hampton-in-Arden. It was a bit ragged, but who can blame it after being buried under a good 20cm of snow last week.

I don't remember seeing any in January before. March seems more typical.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #476 on: 30 January, 2013, 06:02:00 pm »
Perhaps it's fooled by today's "March wind"?  :D
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #477 on: 03 February, 2013, 03:54:38 pm »
My first celandine this morning.  It wasn't open on Thursday.  There's a patch on my commute, just as I leave Yeovil, and they're usually pretty early.
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

Wowbagger

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    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #478 on: 03 February, 2013, 05:17:00 pm »
There were daffodils in flower at the top of Brock Hill this morning.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Basil

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Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #479 on: 03 February, 2013, 06:46:17 pm »
The birds are begining to give it "tweet" at dawn.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Signs of Spring
« Reply #480 on: 03 February, 2013, 06:49:26 pm »
The birds are begining to give it "tweet" at dawn.

They're investigating the nest boxes too Basil.

I've had a nice pair of tits poking around my hole this morning!
OnOne Pickenflick - Tour De Fer 20 - Pinnacle Arkose cx - Charge Cooker maxi2 fatty - GT Zaskar Carbon Expert

Basil

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Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #481 on: 03 February, 2013, 07:23:11 pm »
Erm...
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
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Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #482 on: 03 February, 2013, 09:00:45 pm »
The birds are begining to give it "tweet" at dawn.

They're investigating the nest boxes too Basil.

I've had a nice pair of tits poking around my hole this morning!

Do you hang a mackerel on the bird table if you want a shag?
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #483 on: 03 February, 2013, 09:16:18 pm »
Lots of snowdrops on the banks of the lanes today. Also a very small patch of unmelted snow half-hidden under fallen leaves.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Signs of Spring
« Reply #484 on: 03 February, 2013, 09:22:33 pm »
The birds are begining to give it "tweet" at dawn.

They're investigating the nest boxes too Basil.

I've had a nice pair of tits poking around my hole this morning!

Do you hang a mackerel on the bird table if you want a shag?

Not yet but I'm going to try it tomorrow :D
You never know, it won't be the first shag I've had on the table!*

*possibly too much info there.


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Basil

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Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #485 on: 03 February, 2013, 09:29:10 pm »
The birds are begining to give it "tweet" at dawn.

Of course, I may have noticed this because dawn used to happen after I got to work.  Now it is happening as I set off.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #486 on: 07 February, 2013, 11:11:22 pm »
A song thrush was in full song as I emerged from the garage this morning. It's the first I've heard this year, but since there was another about 30 seconds' ride away it seems to be time to claim a territory.

Dog's Mercury is flowering, which seems rather early.

Signs of Spring
« Reply #487 on: 12 February, 2013, 02:54:35 pm »
I've just cleaned the nest boxes dotted around the garden ready for the prospective buyers. Two were rotten with new builds on the way to replace them and one was full of fleas!

I just placed my hand on the top of the box and had at least 40-50 on my hand. They were all very slow because of the cold so my hand and box all had a disinfecting dip!

The birds have been in and out of the boxes for a while now so they're all ready for building to begin. The blackbird that nests in the garage every year is guarding his patch already! Last year I had wrens, blue tits, blackbirds, robins and collared doves all nesting. The wrens and robins nests failed through predation, squirrel I think.

Roll on spring and then hopefully a summer!
OnOne Pickenflick - Tour De Fer 20 - Pinnacle Arkose cx - Charge Cooker maxi2 fatty - GT Zaskar Carbon Expert

Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #488 on: 15 February, 2013, 10:01:17 pm »
Passed a cowslip just open this morning, and a couple of flower heads nearby which looked ready to open in a day or 2. The location (bottom of Solihull bypass) is where two 50mph dual carriageways merge, so not a place where close examination is easy :o .

Something weird is going on. Not only are they too early, but they're in the middle of a daffodil/narcissus plantation (cultivated varieties, natch, so flower well before the wild ones), which are usually in full bloom before the cowslips appear. The daffs are showing signs of budding, but the buds are not very fat yet, never mind bursting into flower. The cowslips seem to have arrived naturally, and have been propagating steadily over the last few years :thumbsup:.

Meanwhile, some of the the hawthorn stems in the hedge we laid on Tuesday had produced leaves. They're rather a nice snack, with a slightly nutty flavour.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #489 on: 15 February, 2013, 10:04:38 pm »
There's a hawthorn near us which is in flower already!

You can cast your clouts, the may is out.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Wowbagger

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Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #490 on: 16 February, 2013, 10:52:05 am »
There's a hawthorn near us which is in flower already!

You can cast your clouts, the may is out.

Are you sure it's not a blackthorn? They come out earlier, flowers before leaves usually.

Yesterday there was something in flower in Churchill Gardens that smelt delicious. There was some evergreen flowering shrub which I think was the culprit, but I don't know what it's called.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #491 on: 16 February, 2013, 08:17:59 pm »
There's a hawthorn near us which is in flower already!

You can cast your clouts, the may is out.

Are you sure it's not a blackthorn? They come out earlier, flowers before leaves usually.
Could be, especially as it doesn't have leaves visible yet. It is a bit whiter than I'd expect for a hawthorn too. Though googling for images of blackthorn shows bushes, this is definitely a tree.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #492 on: 16 February, 2013, 11:23:47 pm »
There's a hawthorn near us which is in flower already!

You can cast your clouts, the may is out.

Are you sure it's not a blackthorn? They come out earlier, flowers before leaves usually.
Could be, especially as it doesn't have leaves visible yet. It is a bit whiter than I'd expect for a hawthorn too. Though googling for images of blackthorn shows bushes, this is definitely a tree.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=blackthorn+flower&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=jxQgUcrSO8vMsgbfqoHIBA&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1276&bih=856

and

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=blackthorn+tree&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=0BQgUbL4JIbNsgaOwYGYCw&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1276&bih=856

In the autumn, the blackthorn bears sloes.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #493 on: 17 February, 2013, 02:16:14 pm »
There is the old saying of a 'blackthorn winter' when there is a really cold snap while the blackthorn is in flower and people thought it looked a bit like snow.
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #494 on: 17 February, 2013, 02:28:59 pm »
Yesterday there was something in flower in Churchill Gardens that smelt delicious. There was some evergreen flowering shrub which I think was the culprit, but I don't know what it's called.

It's one of the sarcococcae, possibly s. confusa, also known as Sweet Box (heads off for NSFW).   :P
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #495 on: 18 February, 2013, 01:29:45 pm »
There's a hawthorn near us which is in flower already!

You can cast your clouts, the may is out.

Are you sure it's not a blackthorn? They come out earlier, flowers before leaves usually.
Could be, especially as it doesn't have leaves visible yet. It is a bit whiter than I'd expect for a hawthorn too. Though googling for images of blackthorn shows bushes, this is definitely a tree.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=blackthorn+flower&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=jxQgUcrSO8vMsgbfqoHIBA&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1276&bih=856

and

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=blackthorn+tree&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=0BQgUbL4JIbNsgaOwYGYCw&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1276&bih=856

In the autumn, the blackthorn bears sloes.
As in sloe gin? I shall let you know in the autumn!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

JennyB

  • Old enough to know better
Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #496 on: 18 February, 2013, 02:00:44 pm »
Heard the first lawnmower today.
Jennifer - Walker of hills

Rhys W

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Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #497 on: 18 February, 2013, 05:55:27 pm »
I saw three riders in shorts yesterday!

Do these people have no concept of temperature? It was sunnier than it has been for a while, but the outside temperature when I left the house was 4 degrees C.

Signs of Spring
« Reply #498 on: 18 February, 2013, 05:59:25 pm »
Signs of an early spring.

I've just had the first view of this years fox cubs, three lively balls of fluff! They've just been in the field in front of the house with their mum looking for a free snack.
OnOne Pickenflick - Tour De Fer 20 - Pinnacle Arkose cx - Charge Cooker maxi2 fatty - GT Zaskar Carbon Expert

Re: Signs of Spring
« Reply #499 on: 18 February, 2013, 09:58:47 pm »
I saw three riders in shorts yesterday!

Do these people have no concept of temperature? It was sunnier than it has been for a while, but the outside temperature when I left the house was 4 degrees C.
Only three?

I know, it's weird, isn't it?
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897