We have been having a heatwave and it was the May carnival in my home town yesterday which meant it would be heaving with visitors. Roads would be choc a bloc and it would attract a number of undesirable youths which seem to be drawn to our town to drink, fight, vandalise and leave rubbish everywhere. So what better day could I have than to escape to my tranquil piece of woodlandy paradise? Amazed at the burst of growth in just one week, I spent the first hour just walking around, discovering what plants are emerging. The sun was streaming through, casting long shadows, spotlighting patches amongst the bluebells which are at their peak now.
In early spring I had noticed a new and large patch of nettle-like leaves under the sycamore plantation. They weren’t the stinging kind so I was curious to see what they would turn out to be. I was delighted to see them starting to flower and identified them as Yellow Archangel. It’s an ancient woodland indicator species. I knew it was present in small quantities in other areas and as it’s one of my favourite woodland plants, I was quite excited to see a large patch of them. They have flourished here like the bluebells and anemones because it’s an area I have been clearing of brambles. The pretty wild garlic or Ramsons are also in flower now.
My shelter has taken a battering and I had started to replace the roof with some clear plastic panels. I was keen to carry on with that and so spent most of the day on that job. It’s in a cool shady area which was a welcome retreat from the 25 degree heat. I’ll post photos when it’s looking more complete. It’s a slow job, shaping the panels to fit around some small standing oak trees which are supporting it. I made a stupid mistake marking and cutting one even thought I observed the “measure twice, cut once” edict.
I took a break for lunch and just listened to the numerous bird songs around me. No sign of activity in and out of nest boxes yet so I guess they are still sitting on eggs. It’s a late spring this year so they have probably delayed laying. A neighbour arrived with his pal and I gave him a mini tour. More work on the shelter in the afternoon then time to leave (reluctantly). Here’s a few more photos of the woods, surely this must be the most picturesque time of year
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