Going, Going, Gone…But they will be back.

The Last Bluebell

The last of our garden Bluebells, the rest have faded and fallen away. But up in the woods they are still putting on a last flourish…

Now there is more green than Blue as the woodland leaf canopy steals the light.  Bluebells were late to arrive this year but have certainly lasted much longer, all down to this strange sequence of winter and spring weather.

I always like this part of our woods….it is a mix of Beech and Sycamore, its a wooded slope so they have all grown tall and for the most part straight. But it now as the new leaves are starting to create that thick canopy that the bright spring green colours of those leaves sparkle in any sunshine going…

The Silver Birch normally one of our first trees to leaf are now doing quite well in the race to summer…

Now the Good News or the Bad…. depending upon your point of view.

A few weeks ago I reminded you of one of our Country Folklore Rhymes…

The Oak before the Ash
we are in for a Splash
Ash before the Oak
and we are in for a Soak

At the time I reported with some foreboding that the Ash was in bud and those buds swelling and ready to burst, whilst the Oak was still asleep.

Surprise, surprise the Ash went back to sleep and the Oak woke up and raced ahead.  The Oak now sport a full head of leaf whilst the Ash is now a long was behind… See for yourself..

Now you can choose to believe in the Fable or not.  Many do and in recent years the Oak has won and the summer rains have been sparse.

17th May

(C) David Oakes 2018