Category Archives: seasons

Heatwave

26 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by in animals, mammal, nature, seasons, weather

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And I thought yesterday was hot!

180626 Penarth

On day 26 of #30DaysWild the temperature hit 29°C here in Penarth, even hotter than yesterday. And while people may be enjoying this weather (I am not!), it’s really tough for wildlife. I’m not sure what caused this little shrew to die but it’s easy to believe it was the heat, or perhaps thirst. We’ve had a couple of dry months now, and ponds and streams are running low and / or drying up. So, if you’re in a position to put water out for the birds and the beasties, please do – they really need all the help they can get right now.

180626 shrew

Signs of spring: snowdrops

21 Sunday Jan 2018

Posted by in flowers, nature, plants, seasons, spring, wildflowers

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During my walk in Bute Park a few days ago, I saw my first signs of spring. And, though I love winter – as I love each of the seasons for the differences they offer – still, it is always heart-warming, when the days are short and cold and often grey, to see small signs, like these snowdrops, of the earth’s re-awakening.

180121 snowdrops

Autumn leaves, 3

12 Sunday Nov 2017

Posted by in autumn, leaves, nature, seasons, trees

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There is so much to love about autumn: it’s as if Nature is an award-winning play, and all the trees are her actors. She’s coming to the end of another successful season, it’s the last grand finale, the players are dressed in magnificent richly coloured costumes ready to take their final bows before a rapturous audience amidst great critical acclaim … and then the curtain comes down for another year.

Signs of Spring, 2

24 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by in flowers, nature, seasons, spring, wildflowers

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170224-coltsfoot

Determination. Persistence. Resistance. Constancy.
Humans have cleared the land of ‘weeds’; laid a gravel path edged with a concrete strip; planted a bed of ornamental shrubs (many of which have died); and mulched that garden bed with metal chips yet, in spite of all that destruction of its habitat, this little Colt’s-foot (Tussilago farfara) has managed to push through and begin to flower.
Admiration!

Signs of Spring, 1

18 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by in flowers, nature, seasons, spring, wildflowers

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I went for a lovely long walk around parts of Cardiff Bay yesterday and it was sunny and warm, so warm that I had to strip off my scarf and the thin jumper I was wearing over my t-shirt and under my fleece. Spring was definitely in the air and, on my return walk home, I discovered I wasn’t the only one to be feeling the temperature change. These crocuses were putting on a glorious display in the churchyard of St Augustine’s and in the small grassy area just down the hill from the church. Beautiful!

Dawn, 2017!

01 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by in nature, seasons

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170101-sunrise

The sun rises over the Serengeti Plains, Tanzania, August 2014

‘Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.’

Rachel Carson (1907-1964) was an American marine biologist and conservationist. This quote is taken from her seminal work Silent Spring, 1962.