April in the Valley

March was unseasonably cold and following on from a cold February spring is definitely much later this year. At the moment the cold weather looks set to continue - but let’s hope not for too long. Although heavy snow did fall in the Valley last year on April 6th - and we have the pictures to prove it!

Woodlands rely upon regular tree felling to maintain their value. Small patches of the wood when cut in rotation (known as coppicing) allows light to reach the woodland floor so creating ideal conditions for many woodland flowers such as Bluebells, Wood Anemones and Lesser Celandine as well as warmth-loving woodland insects such as White Admiral and fritillary butterflies. The aim in coppice woodland is not to kill the trees but to encourage a dense regrowth from the cut stumps. Cutting a new patch (cant) each year creates a mosaic of different aged cants providing a number of subtly different habitats suitable for a wide variety of species. Watch as the woodlands start to colour up, after the bright splash of yellow from Lesser Celandine look out for white spring flowers such as Wood Anemone and Wood Sorrel as well as the Wood Spurge and Violets then the ever popular Bluebells.

Look for the new fresh green tufts of needles on the Larch trees and see if you can spot the bright deep pink female cones emerging from them. Blackthorn should be coming out with a mass of white blossom.

There should be no mistaking the vivid yellow of Brimstone butterflies as they fly along the hedgerow, also look out for Orange Tip butterflies as they hatch from over-wintering pupae and Holly Blues, our butterfly of the month.

Most of the wildfowl that spent the winter here will have returned to their far northern breeding areas, such as Iceland and Northern Europe. The birds that stay all year round will now be singing and displaying to claim and protect territories. If you are lucky you may witness the elegant courtship display of Great Crested Grebes as they fluff their ruff feathers, shake their heads and arch their necks.

Territorial displays and disputes can easily be seen as the birds are far more interested in their own activities than avoiding being watched. Woodpeckers, Lapwings and Skylarks are amongst the birds that will draw your attention; look out for Sparrowhawks too.

Search the skies for migrating birds such as House Martins, Swallows and Swifts, and please let us know when you first see them. Don’t forget to listen as the dawn chorus begins, in particularly listen out for the first Nightingale.

We’ve not received any reports of frog or toad spawn yet. Bytthis time of the year we’ve usually received plenty of sightings, but that’s not happened so far. Do let us know if you see any in your garden pond or in one of the many ponds in the Valley itself.

THINGS TO DO...

1. Sign up for our special Walk the Path weekend on May 9th & 10th. Details  >>>
2. For other events this month look at our calendar of April events   >>>
    

  Bird of Month: Blackcap

  Butterfly of Month:
  Holly Blue >>>

  April sightings  >>>

  April events >>>  

  Sign up: Walk the Path >>>

    What’s in a name?

 
This month look in
hedgerows and woods for
the distinctive flowers of Lords and Ladies, Arum maculatum. In the Middle Ages this unusual shaped flower had a host of
different names, including sweethearts, silly lovers and Adam & Eve. During the 16th century it was known as cuckoo pintle, later abbreviated to cuckoo pint.
Standing around 12 in
(30cm) tall the flowers are hidden within a broad, greenish-yellow, sheath-like hood called a spathe, which is ribbed like a sea shell and is sometimes spotted with purple. Within this is the long, purple, club-like, floral spadix, which gives off a strong smell of decay to attract insects. The spadix
is covered in backward pointing hairs and insects that crawl down towards the bottom become trapped inside. As they crawl around they pollinate the flower,
but ultimately either die or escape when the spadix withers.

Did you know...

...in Elizabethan times the roots of Lords and Ladies were gathered for the starch they contained. This was used for stiffening the high pleated linen ruffs that were fashionable at the time.