Nature Report for Spring 2025

The following information has kindly been provided to the Parish Council from local resident Mr L Seymour:-

The season sprung early with snowdrops and hazel catkins visible all across the parish. Now we are also able to see daffodils bloom and the cat paw like catkins of goat and grey willows arrive (which is why they are often called 'pussy willows'). Other key flora to look out for include blackthorn flowers, which arrive around now before the leaves, cherry blossoms, and later (usually into May) hawthorn blooms (unlike blackthorn the leaves come first). 

In our wooded areas, particularly Hagg Wood, look out for bluebells (a sign that the woodland has been there for quite some time), wild garlic and wood anemones (delicate, white started flowers). 

All these blooms support our invertebrates. Look for the emergence of butterflies (particularly Brimstone, Comma, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell), dragonflies, and other insects. Ladybirds will be out and about looking for food. In April, bees will be more frequently seen. Common species to look out for include honeybees, bumblebees and solitary bees like mining bees. 

The dawn chorus will return, with birdsong being most active in the early hours of the morning. Finches and song thrush have been most noticeable lately. As well as our resident birds, listen out for the chiffchaff (calls like it's name). Other migrants like swifts and swallows should start to appear from April. 

Sleepy winter residents like hedgehogs and bats will become much more active and lookout for frogspawn in ponds, puddles and wet verges on woodland paths. We get a lot of toads on the path behind Mosedale and the woods support a fair amount of bats.

A key theme for Spring is the emergence of new life, which often needs our help. Our natural world continues to struggle, with population declines across all types of plant and animal life. Sometimes to help can be in the form of us doing very little and accepting that nature isn't always neat. As examples, being very mindful of not cutting hedges whilst birds are nesting, allowing scrubby spaces for insects, checking there aren't hedgehogs or frogs in the garden edges before strimming, putting our dogs on leads when lambs are about, etc.