Spring Wildlife Carnival

Warmth Arrives, Rain Showers, New Shoots, Emerging Butterflies, Abundant Blossom, Shortened Nights, Seed-Sowing. 

Issue 9 April 2020

SPRING WILDLIFE CARNIVAL 

What gorgeous weather we've had recently in Hampshire. I've been spending lots of time outside in the garden whilst complying with the advice on staying at home. I'm very aware that if we have to be isolating at home then thank goodness we're holed up at the start of Spring when we have the bird song, the brighter evenings and all the frenzied activity out in the wild world. 
I love Stephen Moss's description of "a Spring Wildlife Carnival on your doorstep." 

WILDNESS

The dawn chorus is getting noticeably louder as more birds are joining the throng and there are frequent frenzies of flapping wings as the birds feed and nest in the garden. The sparrows in my hedgerow are madly chattering away, constantly flitting in and out, full of busy and at times so loud they drown out any conversation taken over a couple of tea in the garden!

Recent research from Sweden, shows that birdsong can relax us and help us to recover from stress more quickly. Hearing a variety of bird song is reputedly more beneficial that hearing just one type. This means that by encouraging garden birds into our garden we are in turn helping ourselves as well - symbiotic!

I'm very excited that a pair of Great Tits (Parus major) have nested in the birdbox I bought from Hardy's Plants. I've rather crudely attached it to the side of my shed where I can watch the antics from my office window. I am hopeful that although west facing there's enough shade from the house to keep any chicks from roasting later in the season (North or East facing aspects are best for siting bird boxes). Otherwise, I have visions of a Heath Robinson shade solution being quietly erected over the coming weeks!

The birds are currently very busy flying back and forth with beaks full of downy feathers and twigs, presumably to build a sumptuous nest in their new des-res. I've located water and a feeding station nearby, Wilfred the border terrier is successfully keeping the neighbourhood cats away and we're quietly avoiding the area, so this has all the promise of a 5 star nesting zone!

Although unfortunately named,these birds are very handsome and as the largest member of the tit family are often found bossing the other garden birds around! Their call sounds like "tea-cher, tea-cher". I love this drawing by Matt Sewell from his book "Our Garden Birds".

The earliest Spring Butterflies start to fly in April. The four types of butterflies that over winter as adults have already emerged - the peacock, comma, small tortoiseshell and brimstone. They have a head start on the other butterflies because they hibernate as adults rather than emerging from chrysalises.

Brimstone is another word for sulphur which has the same colour of their yellow wings - females are pale green and the males butter yellow. I read one account that claimed the name butterfly comes from "butter-coloured-fly" after the male brimstone. 
Start looking out for the Orange Tip - a white butterfly like the cabbage white but with bright orange coloured wingtips; and Red Admirals both of which amazingly fly all the way here from Southern Europe and North Africa!

Don’t forget moths either. There are far more spring moths around than butterflies, with over 2,500 different species in the UK.  Try shining a torch on a white sheet at dusk and you'll be amazed what moths you find. 
Butterflies and moths are important pollinators and along with caterpillars, are a vital food source for birds like blue tits and robins and for bats. Shockingly, some of the once common species have declined by as much as 80% over the last 30 years! The good news is that we can really help in our gardens by providing homes and food sources for these special creatures. If you want to find out more about encouraging butterflies and moths into your garden there's loads of information at wildaboutgardens.org.uk 

Out in the countryside, the badger cubs born back in February, start to venture out of their sets at dusk to forage with the rest of the group; and fox cubs are born, often 5-8 in a litter and suckled outside by their mothers.

This is prime time for the amphibians the frogs, newts and toads, to lay their eggs and spawn. My murky little pond already has tadpoles doing laps up and down and skirting around in the warm shallows. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you'll have seen my excited post about find a newt in the pond too. Kindly identified for me by Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, as an adult male Palmate Newt. I'm hoping this means there may be more in my garden. PS: He's much smaller than I imagined a newt to be.

Over the coming weeks don’t forget to look up because the migratory housemartins, swifts and swallows soon be returning back to our shores. 

At the moment we have a responsibility to stay home and avoid social contact outside of our families. However you decide to spend your days do try and get outside safely if you can - in your garden or on a balcony or taking your daily exercise outside away from others under big skies. Let me know what April highlights you spot and/or photograph.

Keep well, breathe and remember to look outside and notice the details. 

If you have any questions you can reach me via my website  www.plotgardendesign.co.uk and please  follow/like PLOT Garden Design on social media to receive my seasonal updates and photos.