Hints of Spring
At first glance, this time of year may seem a bit dreary and quiet. Hedgehogs, frogs and toads are still deep in their hibernation burrows and the trees bare of leaves. But if you look and listen closely, nature has begun to drop hints that spring is just around the corner. The birds pick up on it quickly, chatting amongst themselves. Blackbirds, chaffinches and curlew have been heard practicing their mating calls for a busy breeding season ahead, and the house sparrows and jackdaws have been spotted carrying moss and twigs to build nests for future chicks.
It’s not just the birds who can sense the shift of the season. The trees are quietly making their own preparations for a colourful spring. One tree that I always look out for in late winter is the hazel, Corylus avellana. They are well known for their male flowers, the large dangling catkins filled with powdery pollen but tucked behind them on the same branch is the hazel’s unassuming female flower. For a brief period in late winter/early spring these small buds produce a tiny tuft of hot pink styles and stigmata that are used to catch pollen. Once fertilized, the flower will develop into the delicious hazelnuts coveted by many birds and mammals like jay, wood mice and red squirrels. After just a quick look in our hedgerows I found this punchy little hazel flower doing its best impression of a sea anemone.
Hazel
Another tree that makes colourful little changes during this time is the alder, Alnus glutinosa, a wet-loving, nitrogen-fixing powerhouse of a tree. In winter, they produce dark round purple buds from which their leaves eventually burst from in spring. Around March and April, the alder will begin to put more energy into maturing its reproductive parts. The male flowers or ‘catkins’ start to lengthen and open up to reveal a long cluster of acid yellow flowers adorned with purple spots. Again, it isn’t just the showy male catkins that can make a brave fashion statement; the female flower or ‘cone’ of the alder briefly decorates itself with haze of pink spikes that cover the entire cone. Just like the hazel, these punky projections are used to catch pollen. The alders on the reserve have just started to reveal their hidden colours!
Left: large male catkins. Right: cluster of female cones.
Words and pictures by Annabelle Gurney
