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All of a Sudden, it's Summer

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As the bluebells form seed heads, the next rush of flowers and blossom have appeared. The Broom has taken over from the more orange Gorse flowers. Gorse orange on the left and broom yellow on the right. Both have been full of bees this spring. The broom and the hawthorn give an eggy colour across the site. The air if full of insects and bird song amongst the blossom Early Purple Orchids The first Dog Rose to appear Gerrymander Speedwell nestled in the grass   Foxgloves are having a bit of a year. They first appeared in numbers when the gorse was removed and now form a forest on rocky outcrops amongst the Scots Pines. The willow has been pushing out its seed looking like smoke on some days And the Rowan  & Whitebeam flowers are across the site. Holly Blossom Cowslips and Bugle  Buttercup and Cuckoo flower (Ladies Smock)  just as the cuckoos arrived The trees are having a good start to the season with sunshine and rain although the temperatures have been low during...
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Another Spring, Another Delight

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While it is no surprise that spring is a joy, this year has felt special. After a long dark, wet winter with the ground boggy, spring has unfurled slowly. The trees are nearly all above the tree guards now so the leaves are visible looking across them and this is beginning to look like a wood. Over the last 5 years the spread of wild flowers has increased and their density intensified now the browsers are excluded. Two years ago I mapped the spread of bluebells from 2021 - 2024  https://belswood20.blogspot.com/2024/05/bluebells-thriving-at-bels-wood.html . I walked around with the sketched map I had made to update it and I can say now that they are across the whole site. Density is greatest where they have been established for longer and I hope to create a woodland that has that deep haze of blue that comes from an established bluebell wood in a couple of years time. For the first time this year I have come across Spanish Bluebells and Hybrids. I have removed these  bydigging ...
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