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~ a celebration of nature

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Category Archives: spring

New awakenings

23 Sunday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in flowers, spring, wildflowers

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British wildflowers, Common comfrey, Field scabious, Flax, knapweed, Oxeye daisy, Ragged robin, Red campion, Red valerian, Spring colour, Yarrow

Despite our un-spring-like weather, more and more wildflowers are coming in to bloom. Here are some I’ve noticed during the past fortnight’s ramblings in my local countryside: Comfrey, Field scabious, Flax, Knapweed, Oxeye daisy, Ragged robin, Red campion and Red valerian, and Yarrow. Though my video shows a decidedly blue-pink range of hues, there are other-coloured species in bloom – it’s just that I intend doing some family- or species-specific blogs so will save those photographs for now.

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Crow kids

20 Thursday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds, spring

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Carrion crow, juvenile crow, nesting birds

These three juvenile Carrion crows were keeping incredibly quiet – in fact, two were mostly snoozing – so it was just good luck that I happened to look up into their tree and spot them.

210520 juvenile crows (1)

Their parents were in a neighbouring area of wasteland, foraging for food – a full-time job with three hungry beaks to fill. The juveniles look close to fledging so I’m picking they’ll have moved out by the time I next walk this way.

210520 juvenile crows (2)

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Buttercups and beasties

18 Tuesday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring, wildflowers

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British wildflowers, buttercups, buttercups and insects, insects in buttercups, yellow wildflowers

It seems I’m not the only one who likes buttercups, judging by the quantity and variety of mini-beasties I’ve spotted in them in recent days: bees and hoverflies, earwigs and micro-moths, and even a slug.

210518 buttercup bee nomada
210518 buttercup earwig
210518 buttercup hoverfly (1)
210518 buttercup hoverfly (2)
210518 buttercup moths
210518 buttercup slug
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Common fumitory

16 Sunday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in spring, wildflowers

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British wildflowers, Common fumitory, Fumaria officinalis, Spring colour, spring flowers

This native British wildflower may well be the ‘common weed of gardens, arable fields and waste places’ that my Flora Britannica describes, but I’ve only found it once, earlier this week, in my local area, despite there being plenty of those suitable habitats. This is Common fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), which also goes by the vernacular names of Earth smoke and Red-tipped-web. Flora Britannica goes on to explain:

Both scientific and English names stem from the Latin Fumus terrae – ‘smoke of the earth’. The delicate, grey-green leaves do have a slightly smoky appearance, enough to persuade one seventeenth-century herbalist that ‘it appeareth to those that behold it at a distance, as if the ground were all of a smoak’.

210516 common fumitory

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Oak burst

14 Friday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in flowers, spring, trees

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British trees, Oak bud burst, Oak flowers, oak tree, tree flowers

Here’s the latest in my occasional series of watching the trees come to life. This time, it’s the Oak tree – I’m not sure which of the Quercus species this is but I think they’re all fairly similar. First, the leaves burst from their buds, and the vibrancy of the new growth is dazzling.

210514 oak burst (1)
210514 oak burst (2)
210514 oak burst (3)

210514 oak burst (4)

And, of course, everyone knows acorns come from Oaks but perhaps, like me, you hadn’t noticed where the acorns come from. Below left are the male flowers, the catkins, dangling to catch the breeze that carries their pollen, and below right are the female flowers, tucked away, sheltered, waiting to be fertilised by the pollen and develop into acorns.

210514 oak burst (6)
210514 oak burst (5)

210514 oak burst (7)

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Dunlin in the Bay

13 Thursday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds, spring

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bird migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Cardiff Bay birds, Dunlin, spring migration

Though I live near the sea, I don’t get to see Dunlin very often as the coastline near me is mostly cliffs and rocks, not the stretches of mud or sand these little waders can easily feed on.

210512 dunlin (1)

So, it was a real treat during Monday’s walk around Cardiff Bay to see this single Dunlin foraging on the edge of the Barrage.

210512 dunlin (2)

Flocks of Dunlin, and other waders, pass along our shoreline at this time of year on their way to their breeding grounds and, very occasionally, drop in briefly to feed, as this one was. And to have a good scratch …

210512 dunlin (3)

After taking several photos, I left the bird in peace to forage further, grateful for the birding treat!

210512 dunlin (4)

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White bells

12 Wednesday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in spring, wildflowers

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Bluebells, British wildflowers, Casehill Woods, Native bluebell, Spring colour, spring wildflowers, White-flower Bluebell

Although I’ve seen Spanish Bluebells that are white and even shades of pink and lilac, this was the first time I’ve seen white native Bluebells. There was only one, amongst the thousands in this fabulous piece of ancient woodland, but it certainly stood out from the crowd.

210512 white bluebell

As the Bluebells are beginning to fade, especially after all the rain we’ve had in the past week, I thought I’d make a little video of some of my favourite Bluebell images. Enjoy!

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Nine ‘ugly ducklings’

10 Monday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds, spring

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

baby birds, birding, birdwatching, British birds, cygnets, Mute swan, swan with cygnets, Ugly duckling fairytale

Seeing these gorgeous little balls of fluff made my day! I’d been watching these Mute swans for several weeks, building their nest, then sitting on eggs, so it was a real delight to see the proud parents gently shepherding their newly hatched brood around a local river inlet on Thursday.

210510 cygnets (1)
210510 cygnets (2)

210510 cygnets (3)

210510 cygnets (4)
210510 cygnets (5)

210510 cygnets (6)

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More yellow

09 Sunday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in flowers, spring, wildflowers

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British wildflowers, Spring colour, wildflowers in bloom, yellow flowers, yellow wildflowers

A month ago, I shared some of the yellow-flowered wildflowers I’d found for the weekly #WildflowerHour challenge. In the weeks since, more yellow flowers have begun to bloom and, as today’s weather (I’m writing this on Saturday, as we sit under a heavy rain warning) is grey and windy and very wet, I fancy some bright sunshiny yellow. So, here we go …

The flowers are the butterflies’ favourite Bird’s-foot trefoil and the vibrant bushes of Broom. Although I shared some of these last time, I couldn’t resist a Shrew’s-eye view of more Cowslips. The buttercups are beginning to take over from the Lesser celandine as Nature’s yellow carpet in the meadows – these are Creeping and Meadow buttercups. Prickly sow-thistles line the edges of the lane behind my house, and Spotted medick is now brightening up the pavement verges. I’d glimpsed Yellow archangel last time but now these lovely spikes are popping up everywhere in my local woodland, a beautiful compliment to the Bluebells.

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Early-purple orchids

07 Friday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in flowers, spring, wildflowers

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British native orchids, British orchids, Early-purple orchid, native orchids, Orchis mascula, Spring colour

The 2021 orchid season has begun!

210507 early purple orchids (1)

In my local area, the first orchids to bloom are the Early-purples (Orchis mascula) and this week I was delighted to find them in two local areas, one a nature reserve, the other a woodland I regularly visit.

210507 early purple orchids (2)
210507 early purple orchids (3)
210507 early purple orchids (4)

The Plantlife website notes that there is a legend the ‘Early Purple Orchid grew under Christ’s cross, and the leaves were splattered with the blood of Christ, have resulted in the names Gethesmane and cross flower.’

210507 early purple orchids (5)

The website also lists some of this orchid’s other vernacular names: ‘adder’s meat, bloody butchers, red butchers, goosey ganders, kecklegs, kettle cases and kite’s legs’. Personally, I just call them beautiful!

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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