Greater CelandineHurrah, Hurrah. The swallows are back. I saw my first two arrivals perched on the telephone wires yesterday, sighted on the same day as last year. How do they do it? Despite the volcanic ash and stiff northerly winds that have reduced us poor creatures to our natural status as humble ground dwellers, the swallows came swooping in, back from their winter sojourn bang on time. Wonderful creatures, they give me a lift every year, these spirits of the air.
Less pleasing is the pervasive, irresistible march of the celandine through the garden borders. The tiny bulbules are scattered at every attempt to eradicate it, spreading the pernicious weed even further.
Celandine derives from the Greek khelidon, a swallow, and it does bloom at the same time as their arrival but, each year, there seem to be fewer and fewer swallows and more and more celandine. Odd how some visitors are greeted with genuine delight and others with a moan of despair. The swallows don’t outstay their welcome and don’t take over the entire place like their starry, yellow namesakes. There is a lesson in there somewhere.
Invasive species aren’t all bad if they are in their proper place. Apparently, one can tell the age of a woodland by the extent of the spread of an Indicator Species such as Dog’s Mercury that increases its ground cover at a fixed rate. The same is true of Bluebells, Wood Anemone, Wood Sorrel and Ransomes.
Dog's Mercury, carpetting an ancient woodland floor
Not much chance of anyone usurping the "rights of warren" these days, We seem to prefer battery chicken to free range coney. NCC has hurt her paw and is not for walks at present but as soon as she's better we can go and explore some of these ancient woods. She certainly shows a great deal of interest in rabbits.
Less pleasing is the pervasive, irresistible march of the celandine through the garden borders. The tiny bulbules are scattered at every attempt to eradicate it, spreading the pernicious weed even further.
Celandine derives from the Greek khelidon, a swallow, and it does bloom at the same time as their arrival but, each year, there seem to be fewer and fewer swallows and more and more celandine. Odd how some visitors are greeted with genuine delight and others with a moan of despair. The swallows don’t outstay their welcome and don’t take over the entire place like their starry, yellow namesakes. There is a lesson in there somewhere.
Invasive species aren’t all bad if they are in their proper place. Apparently, one can tell the age of a woodland by the extent of the spread of an Indicator Species such as Dog’s Mercury that increases its ground cover at a fixed rate. The same is true of Bluebells, Wood Anemone, Wood Sorrel and Ransomes.
Dog's Mercury, carpetting an ancient woodland floor
I will be checking out our local woods soon. Some of them must date back to the days when the monks of the Priory were granted rights to all the woods in the shire by William I , William the Lion. A fine of £10 (Scots) for anyone taking wood or wild animals or usurping the rights to warrens would have been an enormous deterrent when the average annual income was measured in shillings and pence.
Not much chance of anyone usurping the "rights of warren" these days, We seem to prefer battery chicken to free range coney. NCC has hurt her paw and is not for walks at present but as soon as she's better we can go and explore some of these ancient woods. She certainly shows a great deal of interest in rabbits.
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