Wild daffodils

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.