Someone turned on the “Spring switch”

Have you ever had that feeling of being overwelmed by the beauty of something? It might be a cute baby animal, a stunning vista, a piece of music or food or the love of a close person. It’s a feeling inside your chest and head that’s hard to describe. You feel as if you can’t take it all in fully. You can’t absorb it enough, like an appetite that can’t be satisfied.  Yet you feel full as well, to the point of overflowing. Well that’s how I felt yesterday when I saw the woods. It was as if someone has turned on the “Spring switch”.  The woods have transformed beyond belief over the last two weeks. Not long ago this area was a browny mat of dead leaves and not much else. What you see here are the wood anemones in full flower. I have never seen this amount anywhere ever! Incredibly the flowers will die shortly, followed by the leaves and nothing of them will be visible for another year. These are ancient woodland indicators and according to one source, the roots only spread by twelve inches every 100 years! Not sure I’d agree with that as it’s obvious that in some areas, where I have targeted the brambles, mine have spread considerably. Or were they already there but just suppressed badly by the bramble? Bluebells are also opening now. Wherever I walked there was a delicate perfume in the air.

I’d been to a meeting in the morning. It was a Q&A session with the local Trees and Hedgerows Officer. These woods are protected by a TPO (Tree Preservation Order) which means we have to get permission before cutting any down. This man is in charge of dealing with TPOs. It was interesting but I already knew most of what he told us.

Arriving at the woods late morning, it was very warm amd sunny. I had few jobs in mind and decided it was a day to chill out, enjoy the fleeting beauty of early spring and chat to some of the other neighbours who had been at the meeting. I was pleased to see the wool nesting material I hung up for the birds has been popular.

I love this time of year when everything is new and vibrant. Fresh leaves still intact – nothing nibbled, spotty or mouldy. It doesn’t last long before they become food targets for birds, grubs, diseases, fungi etc. Some of the trees are starting to open their leaves. This beech is one of my favourites. The new leaves are almost lime green and so delicate.

The hazel copse at the Southern border is looking great. Taking the several large sycamore out last year and flooding it with light has paid off. Wood Anemones are doing better than ever and I noticed several clumps of tiny violets, previously only seen in one or two places. The flowers measure less than a centimetre and the colours stunning.

What a memorable day and how privileged I feel to have been able to enjoy it and claim stewardship of this little piece of land. I have put hours of work and energy into helping it along and the work is starting to show results. My reward is being able to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells and the satisfaction that I can work with nature in this way. I’ll leave you with a few more shots of the amazing Anemones.

 

 

A grey day finishing jobs

A gloomy, grey and damp day yesterday but the wood anemones carpeted the floor and the first bluebell had opened which brightened everything.  I had a number of jobs I really wanted to finish before spring really kicks in. There were several coppiced hazel stools and young plants that needed deer netting before the new shoots open and offer a tasty temptation to them. I drove stakes into the ground that had been cut from the hazel when I coppiced them, then tied the netting on. They can be removed in two or three years. The coppice area is looking good and should be amazing in a few years when they put on more growth.

The hazel leaf buds are just starting to open. I love the early spring when the new growth provides fresh, perfect and untainted leaves.

The wild garlic (also known as Ramson and actually not part of the garlic family) are lush and when brushed or accidentally stepped on (you can’t completely avoid it) give off that powerful garlicky aroma. All parts are edible.

The second job was to finish my new campfire logstore. I ordered a green tarp to replace the blue one but the sizes were inaccurate and too small, so the blue one stays for now. I stocked it up ready for my first camping trip which hopefully wont be too far away.

The other important job was to transplant various clumps of ground cover. The sycamore plantation area is quite devoid of anything other than anemones, bluebells, moss, a few ferns and of course bramble. Two years ago, in order to create more diversity and interest, I had experimented by digging a couple of small clumps of Ramsons and replanting along the sycamore edge. They have done really well and are starting to spread. So I wanted to try some more in other areas and also some clumps of wood sedge which grow profusely in the area where I park the car. A small holly sapling and some honeysuckle were also moved. The structure of the soil is much different, so they might not take so well but “nothing ventured” etc. The soil was incredibly wet and sticky so there’s no danger of them drying out until they establish new roots systems.

Small clump of Ramsons

Clump of Wood  Sedge

As usual my time ran out quicker than I liked but the jobs were done and I had time to sit and watch and listen to the numerous birds and just enjoy the peace and beauty surrounding me. In Japan they call it “Forest Bathing”.

 

 

Deer, new kettle, new logshed and a beautiful spring day

Sunday presented a window of decent weather. I arrived at 8.15am and drove slowly up the ride. A neighbour had told me where he had seen three female roe deer hanging out. I saw what looked like a pair of long ears amongst a dense area and stopped. Could it just be some leaves? Then it moved and stood up. Yesssss! I’ve waited almost four years to actually see the deer which I know wander around the woods. It stood stock still staring intently at me. Two more stood up and looked too. If I had attempted to get out and take a photo they would have bolted. I just enjoyed the few minutes I had watching them before they sauntered off. A great start to the day.

I was amazed at how much the anenomes had grown since last visit. The floor is a carpet of green now. This is one of the best times of year to see the woods. I fed the birds and as usual they were down within seconds. There was lots of bird calling around, indicating the approach of spring and I heard a chiffchaff for the first time this year. They are a summer visitor – a tiny plain looking bird with the distinctive, repeated chiff-chaff call which gives them their name. The area I have felled recently is recovering nicely, with a profusion of wood anemones and bluebells.

I bought a new mini camping kettle and wanted to try it out. It’s intended more for my days out hiking rather than for the woods. It’s very light and compact and fitted perfectly on the gas stove. It boiled in no time and pours really well. Drinking a nice filter coffee in a springtime woodland, listening to birdcalls and just quietly watching, is my idea of heaven.

One of the jobs on my list was to rebuild my small camping logshed. Where I have my summer campfire, I had made a rough shelter out of an old packing crate to keep some logs dry, close to my fire. It was too small and falling to pieces. Using a wooden pallet for a roof and some sycamore branches for walls, I constructed a new one. The crate is still inside and will be removed and restacked with more logs. A new green tarp will replace the temporary blue one in order to blend in better. The old dustbin (trash can if you are in the USA) is where I keep my bird feed dry. The feeders are just to the left and above it. I was surprised how some of the birds were still nipping in and taking food while I was working there.

I saw this idea somewhere. Using a bird feeder stuffed with natural fibres to provide nesting material for them. It’s a mixture of sheeps’ wool I gathered from a barbed wire fence while out walking, and shredded wool threads from offcuts of our new Herdwick wool lounge carpet. My birds will have the most luxurious nest in the whole woods!

I’ll leave you with this photo of wild primroses which are scattered along my woodland ride edges. Spring is here at last.