THE OAK AND THE ASH

These two trees open their leaves between late March and May.  

 Oak before ash, in for a splash

Ash before oak, in for a soak.

Which one leafs up first is actually a function of weather and season.  Oak trees respond to increased warmth, while ash trees open when the light increases with longer days.  So global warming is likely to lead to the oak always going first.   Even in the past the ash only won the race about 30% of the time.  Oak is already leafing up two weeks earlier than 30 years ago while ash is only 7-10 days earlier.

These are two of the easiest trees to identify from their winter buds.  Ash buds are coal black and are in opposite pairs along the stem - just slightly offset from each other. 

The special feature with oak is that the terminal bud on each twig (the one at the end) is multiple, with three, or more buds clustered together. 

 The only other tree with multiple terminal buds is cherry and you can tell a cherry from its bark.

CATKIN CLUES

The best known catkins are the so-called lambstails of hazel.  These are the male flowers who provide the tiny female flowers with the pollen necessary to make the hazel nuts.

At first golden with pollen, they fade and fall, their job done.

 

A bit of windy weather also scatters alder catkins on the ground.  They are tinged with red and so quite easy to distinguish.

And these furry items are a sign that you are walking under a pussy willow.  These have unfortunately blown off before they were ripe. 

They too were hoping to be covered in pollen.

 

AND SOME MORE HEDGE WORK

 A further hedge exercise today:   

The southern boundary next to Vilner Farm land was dissolving.  The fence was falling apart and brambles were overwhelming it.  

The brambles had been cut back and flattened so we could get to the fence. 

The kissing gate was in excellent condition but no-one was using it because the path had moved to a gap in the fence.

So the volunteers mended the fence as best we could and plaited the few hawthorn stems already growing near the gate.

From our neighbour's land

Then about 20 hedging stakes, cut and pointed on site, were hammered into the ground and small hazel plants were planted between the stakes.  We had to protect them with cut bramble stems as this is a very rabbitty area.

  

To finish off, thin hethering rods were twisted along the top of the hedging stakes to hold everything together.

It just started to rain as we were leaving.

A good morning's work

HEDGE RENEWAL

 We have now completed laying the hedge by the allotments and we are waiting eagerly for signs of new growth.  

In November 2016 it was like this : - bushy, but turning into a row of trees rather than a hedge.

On the right you can see the top of the stakes in the section of hedge we laid the winter before.

So we coppiced it in February 2017 to encourage newer, thinner growth for laying.  

You'll have to tell us in summer how successful we have been.

IVY BERRIES

Ivy berries are rich in fat and so a great source of winter food for thrushes, wood pigeons, blackcaps and blackbirds, when not much else is around.

The fact that so many ivy berries survive until spring suggests to me that they are not the best tasting snacks available.  For humans they are poisonous, of course.

BURRS

The fruits of the Greater Burdock or Burrs, are great for throwing at your grandparents (or anyone else who is not likely to clock you one) because the velcro-like hooks on the burrs stick onto woolly jumpers and coats.

 This is how the plant spreads its seeds far and wide - not just on human fur but on any passing animals.

HILLTOP POND

The hilltop pond has re-appeared after a dry autumn.

Hopefully some passing frogs may happen upon it and lay some frogspawn to restart our amphibian population.

Frogspawn appeared in 2014 and this guy was hopping around in the welcome area in November 2016.

To encourage more aquatic plant life we need to keep cutting back the overhanging vegetation to let more light in, but the fact that the pond dries up every summer inhibits the development of a rich aquatic flora and fauna.

  The re-inforced dam built by Jim Godden at the north end of the pond has helped to retain more water so maybe things will develop.

We have attempted to introduce marsh marigolds and yellow flag iris.

 

COCKSFOOT

In tufty grass, uncut since summer, the flower heads of some grasses still survive.

One of the commonest and most easily recognised species is Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata). 

  

I'm not sure if these are late flowers frozen in time or lingering seed heads, but they add a little variety to a meadow.

  

 

VOLES

This is a wood mouse.  Very common and eaten by all sorts of predators.  Notice the large eyes and ears, the pointed nose and the long scaly tail devoid of fur.

In contrast voles, both bank voles and field voles, have small ears, a blunt nose and a shorter furry tail.

This one is unfortunately dead but it allows us to see the strong, yellow, upper and lower incisor teeth which all rodents have.   Enamel is only present on the front, backed up by the softer dentine behind, so that gnawing keeps a sharp edge.  The teeth have no roots and continue to grow all through the animal's life - unlike ours.  So no rodent dentists.

You can also see the short, furry tale typical of voles but not rats and mice.

 

CARELESS RAPTURE

'That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over. 

Lest you should think he never could recapture

The first fine careless rapture.'

Robert Browning

Photo: Daily Mirror

This week there is at least one songthrush singing in Filnore Woods.

Browning's poem refers to the thrush's habit of repeating phrases two, three or even four times.  This is the clue to recognition of this bird's song.

If you hear one, rejoice.

Postscript:

Also today: heard a greater spotted woodpecker near post 16 in the old plantation. Didn't know what was making the call but then saw it up high in a tree - very black-and-white.

Always a pleasure

SIGNS OF MAMMALIAN ACTIVITY

Mammals are notoriously elusive and to study them you need to familiarise yourself with tracks and traces.

Moles are very active currently as we can see from the large numbers of molehills,  -  earth thrown up when they are tunnelling underground.

And rabbits are on the increase again.  They use communal latrines so you often find a lot of droppings in the same place.

Most dog owners take their pets' offerings home or to a doggy bin but some leave the goody bags on the ground, in the brambles or even hanging on a tree.  This ensures that the dog poo is nicely preserved.

Keep your eyes peeled for signs of mammalian activity. 

 

Collected at the viewpoint on a Monday morning

These droppings, in contrast to the concentrated rabbit poo, were scattered over a wide area at the viewpoint.

 

FISH IN THE SKY

We don't usually find fish at Filnore Woods 

but last Saturday there was a so-called mackerel sky.

 Like other wild things clouds have species names.  This is altocumulus.  

In 'The Cloud Collector's Handbook', Gavin Pretor-Pinney describes these clouds as "Who knocked over the jar of cotton wool balls".  This is perhaps a truer description than 'mackerel'.

Photo: Ekoterina Kondrotova, Oceans North Blog