Wildlife diary: Spring 2009

There is so much wildlife to see and enjoy in spring. Returning visitors will be back over the course of the next few months, especially as we move into early summer. Look out for swallows – returning earlier and earlier – and listen for the distinctive call of chiffchaffs joining the first dawn choruses.

In woodlands, lesser celandines (or buttercups), wood anemone and sweet violets will be showing from March onwards. And hedgerows will have blackthorn and pussy willow, with bluebells and cowslips flowering later in the season. Even along roadsides, cow parsley, red campion and poppies will brighten up your walk.

Butterflies emerge mid-spring, to be joined by bees as the weather warms up. The frog and toad spawn you may have seen during March will, by April, have turned into tadpoles. And, if you happen by any badger setts during early evenings, you may be able to spot this year’s young exploring for the first time. At night, bats will be circling their homes in old buildings and trees.

By May, the countryside will be thrumming with life. Yellow gorse will carpet heathlands, providing habitat for numerous birds and insects – including dragonflies. In areas with poor soil, carnivorous sundew plants will try to catch flies on sticky hairs. And along rivers, the adult mayfly will begin its brief, 24-hour lifespan.

With so much new growth, and more and more sprouting leaves, the only problem will
be seeing everything among the vegetation – but it’s certainly worth trying!