Last week we were thrilled to see wild daffodils in a place they've never been seen before. There are a few long-established clumps down at the south end of Old Copse, which seem to be spreading, albeit, painfully slowly, and until last week, we thought they were the only wild daffodils in the wood.
The original wild daffodils
So, it's very pleasing to see some new ones in flower just off the steep track through the birch some 500 yards further north in the wood. The seeds must have been waiting in the ground for a very long time, and once light had been brought in through some selective felling and clearing, they had seized their opportunity. Natural regeneration like this seems to make all our work worthwhile. Not only daffodils, but wild violets and other herbaceous plants are also starting to make an appearance in the ground layer, stimulated by the increased light - and hopefully - better able to survive due to decreasing deer numbers.
Wild daffodils starting to colonise a new clearing.
On a beautiful early Spring day we did a very rare thing, for us anyway, of not getting stuck into work immediately, but instead, just strolling round the wood to see what was emerging. We checked out the wild daffodils at the south end and found about a dozen clumps, few flowers as yet, but they appear to be spreading slowly despite being in a dry and fairly shady area. Earlier in the day we had visited Newstead Ghyll, further up the road from Old Copse, where there are a great many wild daffodils growing in a damp, open clearing next to the stream.
For an expert's view on wild daffodils,and other woodland flora, visit ecologist and botanist Alan Waterman's blog
Only a few clumps of wild daffodils at Old Copse
Though they can be found in abundance not far away
The wood remains very wet after months of rain - the annual flooding is receding but water glistens and rushes everywhere.
We were hoping to find a few wood anenomes and primroses but found none, except a few patches of primroses near the south gate, although they grow not far away in St.Leonard's Forest. Bluebells are forcing their way up through the mud and honeysuckle, mosses, ferns, Lords and Ladies have started to come up as well.
Also seen; the first bumblebee of the year; and seen regularly by a fisherman on the pond, two kingfishers, one who lives down at the South end of the Pond, and the other at the North end. It seems that fishing rods provide an excellent perch for these birds to keep an eye out for minnows, so here's a library picture (unfortunately not taken on our pond).
We've had some success with propagating hazel
through cuttings, so today some more were cut , to be potted up and planted out in the autumn when they've rooted. A holly, blackthorn and hazel hedge is planned near the new enlarged entrance, with more hazel planted along the bluebell ride through the birch.
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Spot the Grebe - it can just be seen hiding in the reeds over on the Hammerpond
