Bel's Wood

I find myself willing time to slow down as we move into spring. I love to look at the skeletal trees on the skyline opposite the wood. While responding with excitement to the new leaves emerging I feel a pang of loss of winter. As the days have lengthened I have heard the bird song increase and become more insistent. And then the first queen bumblebees emerged looking for their nests. The willow is always first with its catkins and bumble and honeybees flock there.        The camera was triggered by nothing that appeared on screen  but I have included as the bird song is caught nicely so sound on for this one The gorse does fabulous work at this time of year being abundant and the yew trees are flowering now too which is leading to a buzz in the air.                                   Gorse                  ...

  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 beh...