Edited March entries by Steve Hooper-Lawrie

Start of Spring

March is the official start of the spring…I wonder sometimes if nature knows and even pays attention to any of these statements. Hopefully the temperatures have started to go up and the cold snap is over until next winter.

Most of us will be welcomed home by a bright yellow splash of colour produced by a host of golden daffodils in our gardens and wild daffodils can and do provide a dazzling display in nature.  Hedgerows will begin to bloom with Blackthorn being the first to flower. There is usually a good display in the hedgerows along the old Ipswich to Felixstowe road. Towards the end of the month Wood Anemones will cover the woodland floor with a carpet of white flowers.

The observant among you will have noticed that last years young starlings (shown left) are starting to loose their spots and molt into their mature iridescent plumage. Their beaks are also changing from the dull grey to bright yellow. Last years young Blackbirds are also loosing their dull grey/brown bills in favour of the yellow beak of a mature bird.

Frogs and Toads will be getting together to do what they do at this time of year and there should be quite a bit of frog spawn about and by the end of the month there should be  large numbers  of tadpoles in the warm shallow areas of the lake. As the water temperature rises, Sticklebacks will begin their mating rituals which includes the males making and defending a nest for the females to lay their eggs in.

Sunny warm mornings will bring out both the Brimstone and Peacock butterflies that managed to hibernate and made it through the winter. They will be busy setting up and defending their territories. This will be an important year for butterflies as they didn’t fair well in last years wet conditions and this years extended cold snap could also take its toll.

Painted Lady

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