I love the dappled sunlight you get in the woodland at this time of year; half if it beams through the bare budding branches of Ash, Sycamore and Elm, whilst the other half gets shaded by fresh green leaves of Hawthorn and Horse Chestnut. Of course the evergreen Holm oaks still cling onto their leaves, but they’re comparatively dull and brown, hardened through the darker months.
There is one bad thing about the canopy closing up; which is that it gets harder to identify birds. I can usually make a good educated guess but sometimes it can be hard to call it without a sighting for confirmation! A good example this morning I could hear a Blackcap calling next to the Dell – I usually hear one singing here, but wasn’t certain enough to confirm it before seeing hop into sight!
Nice to see some of the muddier banks around the woodland are starting to green-up after the construction of the new play trail and dry stone walls. Dandelion, Wood Avens, Wild Madder, and Dock have all sprouted afresh, whilst Ivy, Bramble, Honeysuckle, and Goosegrass all creep out sideways, anchoring new roots as they sprawl.
Walking along the coast-path in the woods I was delighted to spot both a Small Tortoiseshell and a Dinghy Skipper – the first time I’ve seen a Dinghy in the woodland. For the past few years, butterfly sightings here had been limited to the odd Speckled Wood, but we are starting to see much more variety following the tree work which has taken place for the Durlston Pleasure Grounds project.
On Caravan Terrace the Primroses have nearly all gone over, their cheery bright colours replaced by pink flowers of Herb Robert and blue Germander Speedwell. Honeybees hum as visit each flower in turn. Behind the flowers, a thick bed of Woodsage and the more occasional Ribwort Plantain. A 7-spot Ladybird climbs one of these stems, before taking flight at the top.