Things move fast! March 26th

 The return of growth in the garden does have one drawback for the owners of a wilded pond. The new growth sucks water out at an alarming rate. But with a small pond one or two watering cans full soon restores the levels. I have just come in from doing this. I gather that water from the tap can be a problem - quite rightly it has stuff in to kill microscopic bugs - so we have tubs detoxifying in an out-of-the-way corner. A rain-water butt would be even better, but we haven't worked out where to put one.

The new growth is very welcome, though. All winter I have been worried that the lovely marsh marigolds have given up and died. But no. This morning the spikes of their leaves are pushing up through the moss. And the buds on the brambles and the raspberries and the wild rose are turning into the green shoots of little leaves.

I have already mentioned our first bumblebee and our first butterfly. This morning I saw my first wasp - presumably a queen come out of hibernation. My excellent insect book, the Collins Guide by Michael Chinery, tells me I can distinguish different types of wasp by studying their faces. 

However, this involves practical difficulties which I have not yet solved. I shall say "Common" till I'm proved wrong. If it starts building a nest where it could be a real nuisance come late summer - inside the garage, for example - I shall encourage it to move elsewhere. Otherwise wasps are welcome; they do a lot to keep smaller insects under control and in balance.

Also a cloud of some species of small fly (no identification yet; sorry) has been busy over the pond. I ought to make more effort, but I think we are talking of hundreds of possibilities. 

The first lawn-mowing of the year has made it easier for blackbirds to hunt for worms, which I love to watch. Presumably the half a dozen chattering magpies on the neighbouring roofs are one of the reasons we don't see all that many small birds. Though a dunnock or two are welcome daily visitors. 

Equinox week. March 20th

 To get a picture of the season in Scotland right now, consider my day yesterday. Preparing for an early start, it took me at least five minutes to scrape ice off the windscreen. But then, later in the day, I saw my first butterfly of the year, a peacock, in the Angus Glens.

Last week I mentioned George Orwell's "Some thoughts on the Common Toad" as a wonderful evocation of spring. A poem on the same subject that is as good as one could wish is by Gerard Manley Hopkins. "Nothing is so beautiful as spring...". Here it is.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51002/spring-56d22e75d65bd

I have often discussed with classes what he might have meant by "weeds in wheels". Maybe it was this (though I doubt it).

Be that as it may, it is a gorgeous poem, worth knowing by heart.

Meanwhile in the garden this week the buds on the pear tree have been swelling and turning green. Daffodils of many varieties are splashing yellow in every corner and bed. There is nothing "wild" about these plants. But in "Wildlife of a Garden" by Jennifer Owen (I recommended this book on December 4th last year) she assures us that her Leicestershire garden "contains the elements of a conventional garden and is in no sense a wilderness". In many ways a managed garden can be just as good, probably more varied, for wildlife as a naturalised one. 

I was very pleased in my small pond to see a number of pond snails - no longer miniature, but about half the size to which they will grow - setting out to graze on the algae. I assume that in the icy months they have been deep down, out of sight. On the same day I saw my first bumblebee of the year - presumably a queen. She will have come out of hibernation and be looking for a suitable nest site. I have provided a few, but there's no telling where she may end up.

The pair of magpies, rather bullies of the garden bird world, are clearly setting up house in a neighbouring conifer. They are the first to the scattered bird-food most mornings. More of a delight for me is the dawn song (5.00 am the other day) of a blackbird. Do read that Hopkins poem. The song I hear is definitely a blackbird, not a thrush. 

I wonder what the next week will bring.

The Mating Season. March 12th

 The first frogspawn appeared when there was ice on the pond most mornings. A few days later we have slightly warmer conditions, and every day we can watch from the kitchen window. The surface is in perpetual motion as male frogs splash and swim in search of a female. Some of them must be successful, for the number of blobs of spawn has increased slightly.

There is no photo of this, because as soon as I get within range the frogs (maybe half a dozen) dive down and disappear. 

In an earlier post, about bird-feeders, I commented about the relative lack of birds during the winter, and the expectation of seasonal migration. Well, in the last few days (that warmer weather, maybe) there have been changes. The foraging blackbirds every day are clearly a pair, male and female. For most of the winter we were visited only by a male. We have not seen a starling since, I think, September. But yesterday a pair were at the fat-balls. There is a fairly substantial evergreen two gardens away, and I think they nest there. Certainly in previous years we have seen flocks of young starlings in April and May gobbling up the fat-balls. Something similar happens with magpies - though we have seen one or two of those over the winter.

A very pleasing first sighting of spring was goldfinches. After a winter without them, three were on the bird-feeder (sunflower hearts) on Wednesday. Perhaps they were just passing through, but certainly in previous years we have had families on the feeders in April and May. No doubt every year will be different. (Memo: Clean bird feeders.)

There are many beautiful pieces of writing about spring. Lots of glorious poems one can think of. Not as well known as it should be is George Orwell's "Some thoughts on the Common Toad". Do read it. Here is the link to it.

https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/some-thoughts-on-the-common-toad/ 

Much of the news is depressing. But - and this is Orwell's message - we can still enjoy the spring. 

March 6th. Frogspawn

 Last night I returned home after a couple of nights in London. I went out into the garden with a torch, just in case, and this is what I saw.

This is particularly pleasing because it shows that some of the frogs that laid eggs last year have found places to survive the winter and are able to breed again this year. Their children who were tadpoles last year are still too young. 

If you are ever waiting for a train at Euston, St Pancras or King's Cross (it happens a lot if you live in Edinburgh) it is well worth going 400 metres or so north of King's Cross to find this.

Camley Street Natural Park is a lovely place to spend a few minutes. A volunteer warden and I chatted for a bit.

They have, of course, more space than the owners of small patches for whom this blog is written. But one can always learn something new that may be worth trying in a small space. They have more than one log pile:

I expect we all do. But they are trying out a new idea which is explained in these two photos.

There is surely no reason why we should not make all our walls and fences bioreceptive. I will let you know how I get on. Meanwhile, I shall enjoy watching the frogspawn develop.