Bel's Wood

It started with one spray on one tree while the bluebells, cherry blossom, violets and wood sorrel were taking the limelight.       Looking across the valley the colours were greens of every shade but no white of the hawthorn or may tree signalling summer. The white that is there is the cherry blossom. Hawthorn is prolific in this landscape. It is a pioneer tree. It can take hold even in areas heavily grazed as these lands have been. Their thorns protect them to some extent and they are successful in South Cumbria. Then the other hawthorn trees started to show their colours too.    On closer examination the white and green shows itself to be pink, yellow and lime green forming the stamen. Everywhere I look is white and the smell is heavy in the air. Not sweet but thick and pollen laden. An old favourite hawthorn I call Agnes, sits at the top of the site and can be seen from most places in the south. She acts as a waymark when lost in gorse or bracken. Last night I sat in her and viewed

  Back on the 23rd of February I was working at the wood and heard the wonderful sound of bees for the first time this year. They were feeding on the gorse bushes and are local honey bees. I saw my first bumblebee queen a few days later on 26th February which was a week later than last year. This would not be considered spring but the air felt alive with new growth.   These daffodils are on the roadside and came up by 5th March 2023 and the pussy willow emerged at the same time.   By 10th March they were silver and the honeysuckle leaves were out. By the following week the willow flowers had came out and were providing food for the many bumblebees now out of hibernation. Dandelions are important to early bumblebees and the first ones were fully out by 14th April This is a favourite tree of mine and visitors. This silver birch started life engulfed by gorse and had to find its way to the light. I am hoping in time that this will be strong enough to sit on. I will plant behind it but res