The Coming of the green....

Lesser Celendine, Ramunuculus ficaria
At the start of the new year, everyone is eagerly waiting for the first green leaf, sprout, or any other sign that life in the garden has started again, hence the people here talking of The Coming of the Green.

Like in the previous months, the Blackbird was still present in every field, hedgerow, trees and gardens that I passed. And Blue Tits were singing everywhere. Did they also have spring in their little minds? Were they looking for probable nest sites, already? And shouldn't all those Blackbirds not be returning back to the continent? Or are they waiting for the right wind? The present southern galeforce wind is not very helpful when you need to fly east.

Ferns too, are celebrating the arrival of spring. The spores at the underside of their leaves, are their way of propagating when the spores are travelling on the wind, to settle and germinating in a new place. I'm afraid that most of these spores will end up in the river below the bridge, although the galeforce winds of the last few days might well have stolen some in its grip.

And these I found further on the road. It surprised me that this flower of another Lesser Celendine, had opened fully already. It was growing in a very dark corner. The trees above it casting a dark shadow over it, and the Sun not, or hardly ever, being able to reach it.

The banks of the river, cleared of the invasive Gunnera or Giant Rhubarb, Gunnera tinctoria.


Lichen was also settling onto the bridge. And a few bits of Moss too.


As is the Woodsorrel, Oxalis acetosella.

These lovely little flowers I have not seen before, and I suspect that the owner of the house behind the fence, has planted these themselves, or that it is a garden escape. Any suggestions are very welcome.

The Wild Ivy, Hedera helix, does not show that many left over berries any more. Despite birds preferring to feed on red or orange berries, this winter they had to eat whatever they could find.

This tiny flower I find at the rectory, underneath the row of Sweet Chestnuts. It was spread out over about a metre or more, but I could not find its ID yet. Any clues are welcome.

The unopened flower bud reminded me of the days I was rolling my own tobacco. It just looks like a rolled cigarette paper.:

Dandelion.

I found this leafmine on some Bramble leaves from last year, and the leaf reminded me of photos of a leafmine which I'd seen on Stuart's wildlife blog, Donegal Wildlife, in his post, Still snowy.
I think that this is the Leafmine, Stigmella aurella.



I am not sure if it is the same Leaf mine, as the one Stuart saw on his walk, but I like what he says about them:

"Leaf-miners are always worth a look: the plant they live on, can be a very strong clue to species, and it is interesting to see the different strategies they use to avoid falling out of the leaf.
Mines are made of species of Flies, Sawflies, Micromoths and Weevils. The shape of the mine can usually tell us to which family a particular mine belongs"

If only Spring was here...

Ribwort Plantain, Plantago lanceate


Red Clover, Trifolium pratense

After such a wet summer and cold winter, I feel rather depressed sometimes because the weather is still too cold most days, to get out onto the road. Simply because it feels even more colder when you're sitting still. And hanging about taking photos, doesn't help either! Looking through my spring photos of last year, is the one way of thinking positively about those lovely warming days of spring. What will come up first? Lesser Celendine? Common Dog Violet?
You know, when people ask others what (wild) flower reminds you of spring? they always say Bluebell. But Bluebells only start flowering in March/April. I have recorded many beautiful wild Flowers by then. Like those mentioned above! Others, which will appear soon are various Ferns.
I will do another post on Ferns, later on, because I have always been madly in love with these plants. As you can see below (2nd picture) green-veined Butterflies like Ferns too. This was taken in summer, obviously. Ferns are evergreen, but in early spring they sprout new fronds (toothed leaves) with spores. (their version of seeds)


I love the way they uncurl.


On a Dutch website I was reading that they are expecting plants and flowers to appear much later than 2008 or 2009. In some cases perhaps as much as 38 days later, as a result of a bad summer and severe winter in 2009. Could this mean that I have to wait this much longer for my spring flowers too? I hope not!

Anyway, here is what I am expecting of spring. Besides, I now have my macro lens, which would make the photography of my favourite flowers even more exciting than in the past few years. and that of bugs too, of course, as long as they cooperate, of course.

One of the first to appear, the Common Dog Violet, Viola rivianana

also an early one, Lesser Celendine, Ranunculus ficaria

although a member of the Buttercup family, it grows in clumps, rather than plants with long single flower stalks.

The Clovers are real favourites of me. The white one has a gorgeous scent too. I have both Clovers growing in my garden and they are great for photography, I think.

A very early one in flower, and an unpredictable too, is Gorse. It is growing all over 'round here.

The Gorse, Ulex europaeus
if you are a homebrewer; white wine of Gorse flowers is absolutely beautiful!
Woodsorrel, Oxalis acetosella, will open up in and around March, although it will only fully flower in June.

In April I wwas able to photograph interesting growths like these:
Photograph: Glengarriff Wood.


In April:
When I might spot this lovely Scarlet Pimpernel, Anagallis arvensis, sometime, and if I don't, I might still see it over late summer.


And Ribwort Plantain too(pictured at the top)

In May you might come upon:

No spring would be complete without the appearance of our Bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta

and for a little taste of Garlic while out on a walk, or a ride, take a nip of one of these flowers, Alium triquetrum. Do not dig up any of the bulbs though.


And then in May:
Ragged Robin, Lychnis flos-cuculi


Dog Rose, Rosa canina


Yellow Flag Iris, Iris pseudacoris


Someone told me today: "Spring will come sometime..

Some of the many Lichen & Moss of Glengarriff Woods.

Ireland has long been famous for being a wet country, and our South West corner doesn't escape any of this rain. With all the surfaces being quite damp, a different habitat is created and some of those species thriving on damp ground, stone or wood, are Mosses, Lichen and Fungi. I've had a particular fondness for these extraordinary species, and once I started sketching and painting deserted buildings like sheds, barns and the like, I was brought into contact with Mosses and Lichen inadvertently. It is their structure which fascinates me. Just go and stop at a bridge, a wall, or a tree which is overgrown with Moss, and have a real good look at it.
Lichen too, deserves a second look, it is often even more bizarre in structure than the Moss, you've just looked at.

Being in Glengarriff Woodslast week, I had a good chance to look at all of these following species:
(see also this post at Birding on Wheels, my other blog.)

Everywhere I looked, there was Moss or Lichen present, I will try and find out their proper names via Paul Whelan's Lichen.ie website, and Clare Heardman, the manager of the reserve..
I have absolutely no idea of what the name is of this beautiful speciemen! Just draped along the branch, it seems.


In the website of the Glengarriff Woods Nature Reserve, this Fern is mentioned, as,
Polypody+Fern+(Polypodium+vulgare.

So, you see, one species we got already! (to me it looks very parasitic, growing on other lifeforms.)
I presume that a little spring, or waterfall has been occupying this slit in the past?

Also wonder which specie of "Thorn" this one belongs too. Not Blackthorn, nor Hawthorn either, I think. Looks damn sharp though!

Wood Anemones were in flower all over the floor of the woods, Their little heads bobbing in the cold wind, .






It was noyt all Moss, Fungi and Lichen, of course. It was also scattered with spring flowers, like these Wood Sorrel and Primroses.


When we stopped for a minute, Dave pointed out these Fungi, growing on wood (I think)

Wild Spring Flowers

Although I have not been blogging lately, we are doing OK. busy, and with a horrible wind blowing about the house. plus the occasional?? rain showers.
It is a pity because I would love to get out onto the road with my wheels, onto the backroad and to the bay, to check the birds there and before reaching the bay, having a look at the Blackthorn buds, the Aran Lily plants (sorry, cannot find the post) which I photographed last autumn, its variegated leaves a mystery to me, until Roger B. helped me out. And I would like to see how the leaves have grown.
On Monday, I had my camera with me when going to the shop and on my way home I spotted these lovely Lesser Celandine. These are typical spring flowers and they are a good sign of spring as springflower in the wild.
Lesser Celandine:
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And although I have not seen any Blackthorn buds yet, on this piece of the back road, because they all grow on the other side, but I did spot these buds of catkins perhaps?


In the garden it is mostly Chaffinches and Chaffinches. usually we see 6 females a day and 3-5 males, and battles are fought on a regular basis. One poor chappie has still a very light breast and he is being hunted by the wrong sex, because it is those with a nice ruddy breast which get the attentions.
Our pale Chaffinch pal:

One of the ruddy, redbreasted Chaffinch males:

He Loves me..., He Loves Me not....,

Some of the ladies:

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Pied Wagtail,


Here's Looking At You!
A different view of and JJ,
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two of our Blue Tits