Another plant that deserves to be more highly regarded is the Dandelion, here providing a reflection of the sun and brightening up the end of our walk as we passed the Crow Wood wildflower bank. If, instead of being common and difficult to control in our gardens, it was rare, it would be a treasured addition to gardens to brighten up a spring display. Right on cue, this clump was also seen to be benefitting this Solitary Bee with a good supply of pollen. The same species that was on the Celandine in the previous post I think.
Celandines are a flower that can be seen just about anywhere in the woodlands, but are fairly inconspicuous unless the sun is shining or the air is warm. Then the brassy gold stars shine out from the grass or emerging nettles, brightening a bank or wood edge. This clump was photographed on our Crow Wood wildflower bank. There should be some in flower at least until mid-April, so there will be chances to see them for many days yet. When not in flower the plant can be identified by the rosette of heart shaped leaves with a characteristic netting effect of the veins. You may also have Celandines in your garden, they can usually be found in shaded, less well weeded sections. Celandines, or mor
Now that the days have lengthened, lots of plants are developing rapidly and some are already flowering. The Scottish wildflower seed mix that we sowed in 2014 on the bank area below Crow Wood contained Primrose seed, but it was not until 2017 that the first plants began to show their presence with their beautiful pale-yellow blooms. The plants have come back each year since then and some, beside the stone wall, are now large enough to be easily seen from the path up to Ross Avenue These photographs of the largest plant were taken on the 21st March this year but there are others now emerging from among the grasses elsewhere, especially under the flowering cherry trees at the start of the
When a batch of young oak trees was donated to the group, the work to began to clear designated planting spots of ground covering ivy and other roots to reduce competition with the young trees and help them start to grow. Each of the three P7 classes took part in this often strenuous work. The weather for Tuesday 3rd March could hardly have been better, a pleasant change from all the previous weeks of often stormy weather. All three P7 classes came down with their teachers to plant the oaks in the plots they had been preparing over the previous weeks. In the morning the oaks were removed from the small plant pots in which they had been grown. They were sturdy little trees with lots of side
