But on March lst the sun shone all day, saying goodbye to the coldest winter season (1
Dec to 28 Feb) for over 30 years, some say since 1963. You need to be old to remember
that! I was a student in central London and the ice stayed on the pavements for 8
weeks, with no day above freezing-point all that time. The first two weeks in March
had a lot of sunshine, but the temperatures did not rise much till the 14th, when we
almost thought summer had arrived as we were basking in afternoon temperatures of
12°C! Two Primroses (wild ones) were in full flower, and a daffodil, and hundreds of
crocuses, and the grass is suddenly growing. It will soon be time to put in the early
potatoes, then to plant spinach seeds and other vegetables. The broad beans I planted
in mid November are all growing nicely and are about 10cm (6inches) high, having
survived everything the winter threw at them.
On St. Patrick's Day I dug trenches in the garden, put compost in, then planted the
potatoes in and raked back the soil. Lots of birds were singing, the sun was shining (I
even got a bit sunburnt on the tip of my nose!), honey bees were feasting in the yellow
Crocuses, but no Robin! I am used to seeing and hearing the Robin when I dig the
ground for the spuds. While I have a little rest from the digging, he comes to catch
whatever little beasties he can, and goes away with a beak full of grubs and worms
and suchlike, flies off to feed his family, then comes back again for more. By which
time I have dug some more soil for him. But this year there was no Robin. I was
wondering, is the spring so new, the winter having been so long and so cold, that the
Robin hasn't yet got a nest full of babies to feed? Or, have the Robins all gone from
our gardens? I do hope the first question is the one with the answer yes, and not the
second. It was not the same without him!
Later in March a small group of us visited Norsey Wood, Billericay. Since spring is
late this year, not many flowers were visible except for Wood Anemones, of which
there were hundreds. Soon there will be thousands of Bluebells, with Lesser Celandines,
Wood-sorrel and other lovely things. But we also found two patches of Opposite-
leaved Golden-saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium in flower, some interesting
ferns (e.g. Hard Fern Blechnum spicant) and rushes (e.g. Hairy Wood-rush Luzula
pilosa), and two of our company were birders who heard Chiff-chaffs and assorted
Woodpeckers among other birds. We all marvelled at the multitude of bryophytes
(mosses and liverworts) that Ken Adams showed us, many fruiting, some glowing
bright green in the sunshine, in between the showers! Surprisingly, we found several
fresh fungi, including Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus which served us (my
husband and me) well for supper later.
It seems now (28th) that everything is going to be happening at once, giving a sudden
burst of spring in gardens and parks and the wider countryside. We hope for a good
summer. But.. .er.. .well... it might be, but the last 3 days of March have been back to
winter again!
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Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 62, May 2010