Unseasonal flora

[Susie]

I mentioned in my diary the other day about seeing daffodils in bloom, I saw more of these in Crawley today. I know of a couple of large patched of snowdrops which are in bloom and now in my garden there is a single snowdrop, primrose and a crocus. I'd just put it down to an early spring but I have summer flowers which haven't finished blooming yet, such as roses and wallflower bowles mauve.

The seasons seem to be merging into one and I'd be interested in other people's thoughts on this.

[David M]

I haven't seen any 'unseasonal flora' thus far, but I'm still getting sizeable numbers of snails and flies in my back garden.

I'd like to think we'll get at least one fairly cold snap before February is out, otherwise butterfly populations could suffer.

[EricY]

I read a web diary of someone living in the Scottish highlands & he had to remove a Tic from his ankle in early december. Not very encouraging to plan a trip for the Chequred skippers, Tics must be mutating into polar species! Eric

[Susie]

The honey bees were feeing on mahonia flowers today. Lovely to watch. Not that mahonia in flower is unusual.

[David M]

Well, I have now seen my first 'unseasonal flora' of the year as along the bank which straddles the pathway adjacent to my work building, I noticed two celandines in flower today. There may well be plenty more too as the leaves of many others looked to be extremely well developed. These usually only bloom towards the end of February but there could easily be a carpet of them in a couple of weeks' time.

[Matsukaze]

Wallflower and primula in flower here!

Also managed to germinate some Colutea arborescens and Coronilla emerus this autumn which I re-potted today. Chances are though that iolas is not going to make it over here to start breeding.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Susie, I was in Kent for Christmas at my Daughters, we went for a walk in Blean Woods and I saw this Broome in flower, two days later the whole path through the woods on either side was full of colour, it could have been Spring. I hope it means good news for the Heath Fritilary and not bad. Goldie Sorry if it's abit blurred, xmas and all that!!!!!!!!!

[Wurzel]

I've been reading of these unseasonal flora and fauna sightings and have a few of my own to add...
Bumble bee on New Years Day in my garden, then on the second there were flowering Snow drops at Stourhead and today driving home the Cherry trees that are normally blossoming in March/April are doing so now. Does this unseasonal mild waether mean a damp, cool and dreary spring is in the offing?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Susie]

I'm not sure.

There have been signs of activity in my pond over the last week or so, so I think the frogs have woken up. I am a bit concerned about this and hope we don't get a sudden cold snap or they'll be in trouble.

[ChrisC]

Goldie, is that a broom or gorse? lots of gorse in flower at the moment.

Chris

bees, hoverflies and pondskaters all seen yesterday.

[David M]

Yes, gorse flowers all year round on the Isle of Man and I suspect it does likewise in many other parts of Britain where winter temperatures are generally more benign.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Chris, not sure ,I've aways called it Broome, one things for sure, it's certainly not in bloom round our way. We've had Snow, severe gales (2 fences down in Back Garden) Hale , Rain, in other words the lot. Yet! my Tulips and Daffs are a quarter of the way up. My area," West Penine Moors". I've cheered myself up though by planning a caravan trip in May,) only the booking left to do now. Goldie

[Mark Tutton]

I have both Wallflower and a Campanula in my garden which have come into flower in the last couple of days and I spotted a pair of Robins were gathering nesting material this morning.
Mark T

[Neil Freeman]

Nothing unusual so far to report in my part of the midlands.
After the snow and ice of the past couple of years, particularly last year, this winter so far has been a return to the wet but fairly mild conditions that we previously had a run of.
We have had a load of wind and rain but so far the worst of the weather seems to be everywhere else but here.

There is some sign of things starting to come to life in my garden, buds starting to appear on shrubs, bluebells poking up about an inch or so, but this is usual for me. In fact, when the snow and ice disappeared last year at about this time, the bluebells were revealed at about the same stage of growth.

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Susie]

There is the usual stuff in bloom here I would expect like hellebores, virburnums, cyclamen, sweetbox, mahonias, heathers and shrubby honeysuckle. The gorse has been flowering for weeks.

In addition there are dandelions, creeping comfrey and dog violets in bloom this afternoon.

[Susie]

Did anyone else hear Matthew Oates talking about this on Drive time on Radio 2 this evening?

I watched a couple of swans courting this morning. Beautiful.

Could be a cold snap coming our way later in the week though.

[Dave McCormick]

Goldie, that is defiantly gorse, might be Western Gorse (Ulex gallii) which is a smaller, more compact shrub, with smaller spines than common gorse and usually grows 10 to 50 centimetres tall although some may grow up to 7 ft tall, but can't tell unless there is a closer image of the spines. I have been told that Common gorse flowers all year while Western Gorse flowers mainly between July-September.

So far I have seen here in east NI:

Roses still in flower and have been for past several weeks. Hawthorn flowers a month ago (but only a few here and there). Snowdrops I saw a few days ago in flower. Lots of hazel with catkins which I think is a few weeks early. My grey sallow trees even lost their leaves finally in late November/early December. Also planted lots of wildflower seeds in September, many now are at the point where they are not too far from flowering and even found green shoots on one of my young grey sallow trees, has leaves appearing.

[Susie]

There is blackthorn blooming along the A24 in Capel, Surrey. That's definitely the earliest I've ever seen it. Apparently folk law says that it means we are in for a cold snap.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Susie, I've got Snow Drops out now and Crocus, can't believe it with the weather we've been having. Goldie M

[Susie]

I know. Sunday and Monday had spring in the air for sure. I've got kingcups in bud in the pond and buds are swelling on all sorts of other plants too.