Ish Springwatch 2010

[citizentwiglet]

Yep, can concur that catkins are certainly doing their catkinny type thing up here in Scotland. Am still waiting for my forsythia to start up though. Although I do have the start of perpetual sweetpeas doing quite nicely.

This winter achieved the impossible - it killed my mint. I thought not even fire could destroy the stuff.

[Mrs Moustoir]

I've just read this thread (and MMM's comment about these), looked out the window and saw a Brimstone butterfly fluttering past! The first I've seen this year.

And my first mini daffodil of the year has opened in the sunshine this morning.

[Millymollymandy]

I just saw a Brimstone an hour ago too - and a red admiral at the garden centre. I keep listening out for the chiff chaff every time I'm outside!

[pelmetman]

Frogs at it today in our pond - first frogspawn.

[loulou]

ours are out this week and the bird are chirping, spring has srpung

[A&A]

Probably a little early still for swallows. I record a load of things each year as they first appear: last year the first swallow was 10th April. The Almond & Apricot blossoms are out now - both produced their first flowers a fortnight later than last year - perhaps a sign of the bad winter. A pair of nuthatches have managed to open out the hole of the blue-tit nest box and appear to be happily residing there.

[Millymollymandy]

What a difference 10 days makes - loads of daffies out now and some other bulbs, winter flowering pansies coming back to life, forsythia opening up (wierd because it's absolutely never before the Japonica but this year it is!), primroses really coming into it and celandine and primroses on the banks and ditches when driving around.

Pink blossom soon of the Prunus (serrula?), that ornamental purple leaved tree that almost every garden in France has. My mirabelle has opened up (useless as fruit trees as they never fruit, but early blossom is pretty). This is exceedingly late for them, normally flowering in Feb.

No swallows yet though.

[Millymollymandy]

Last year's swallow thread: http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... 37&t=13424

It was 18 March last year chez moi!

[Mullein]

Yay - my first Daffodil is open!
and very pretty it is too...

[citizentwiglet]

I still don't have daffs up...............but I do have some irises. And the FORSYTHIA

[A&A]

Last year's swallow thread: http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... 37&t=13424

It was 18 March last year chez moi!

That's pretty strange isn't it - an entire month's difference. I wonder if the swallows that you saw travelled up on different winds perhaps, especially since we're almost half-way between you & Africa. Air currents must play a large factor in this respect. I'm keeping my eyes peeled - but still nothing here yet this year.

[JulieSherris]

Our daffs have just popped open this morning

The snowdrops are now coming to an end, but the crocuses here are just coming up through the grass, and the primroses seem to be struggling to wake up for some reason?
Further along the lane the gorse flowers are now out & look really pretty...... funny how gorse is so pretty when everything else is bare!

And I've just realised that looking out from my window into the woods, there is a greenish hazy covering showing through on the trees.... it did this last year & then one morning I realised that the trees actually had leaves & weren't bare & brown anymore!

The ground elder is pushing its way up along the banks around the garden - why don't chooks & ducks regard this as the most delectable dish? We have LOADS!
Ah well - I'm looking forward to next saturday when we put the clocks forward an hour - THEN it will be spring - for real!!

[JulieSherris]

Susie, it feels like I've been waiting forEVER.... I almost count down the days of winter until we get to it

I'm really hoping that we actually get a proper summer this year, then all the memories of the cold, floods, & rain will melt away as I potter around the place in t-shirt heaven!

[Odsox]

It suddenly dawned on me that I had been hearing a chiffchaff all morning while I was working in the garden.
Usually they overwinter here but this year they obviously thought better of it.
Nice to hear them again anyway.
Swallows and the cuckoo next

[Millymollymandy]

Snap, ours came back yesterday too! I saw one out of the window and my hubby heard one. I've seen them here as late as December and even seen Blackcaps in winter as well, but only when we had a couple of mild ones.