May 16, 2015

Swifts

The Swifts will arrive and summer officially starts with a shriek,  6th May give or take a day.  Already they have been heard and seen  down south, so will slowly start to make their way north.

Nearly all the trees can be seen  in bud and leaf except the late ones, Ash and Lime that look like dead trees sandwiched between the verdant green of all the species.
It is a delight to hear the wind and breeze rustling the leaves again.  London Plane  and the mint coloured Whitebeam are also now decorating all the street verges. I was lucky enough to see a fledgling magpie perched on the side of the nest thinking about when to go.   It is amazing what you see from the top of double-deckers.




The Bluebells are through and the Lily of the Valley are hiding beneath the  wispy blue Forget-me-nots.  Having helped plant over 1000 Bluebell bulbs last autumn in the pouring rain in the Wilder-Ness Spinney at Ness gardens I have a  particular empathy to their progress this season.


My all time favourite wild flower Cow Parsley (Queen Anne's Lace) is now in profusion along woodland edges, roadside verges and hedgerows wherever the mower and flail have missed. 

Everywhere is clouded in white veils of hawthorn and blackthorn blossom broken in dots and lines  with golden yellow gorse. All too soon the wonderous blossom surrounding us dissipates in the wild wind and driving rain. 


The Wirral is in yellow profusion with Rape Seed flower especially in the fields around Irby Village. Rather a continental colour but pretty none the less.  Not fun for anyone with hayfever though.