Pinks

Around Shipley Park, a profusion of pink can be found amongst the whites of hawthorn and wild cherry. On Shipley Hill, the cultivated Cherry trees are big, blousy and magnificent.

Looking up through the canopy, with the sun shining through the petals, the pink flush lends a very 'pretty-pretty' effect.

These are double flowered cherry trees which make the flowers heavy and drooping, which lends them to being viewed from below.

I have recently been looking into how to tell the difference between Rhododendrons and Azaleas. This is not quite as easy as it might seem as all Azaleas are Rhododendrons, but not all Rhododendrons are Azaleas.  It turns out that probably the best way to tell the difference, is to count the number of stamens in the flower. 5 stamens (or there-about) and it's an Azalea.  Twelve stamens or more and it's a Rhododendron. These, pink-tinged beauties growing close by the cherries above, turn out to be Rhododendrons.

As well as the pale, pink flush of colour, they also have a delicate scent which is more obvious when you get closer. Just beautiful!

May

The month of May, shares its name with a familiar tree in the UK, the Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). The old phrase 'Ne'er cast a clout till May be out' is often thought to relate to the May tree rather than the month - although this is disputed by many. Whether it's the tree or the month, the May is 'out' right now.

Part of the Rose family, the Hawthorn has many common names other than May including Mayblossom, Maythorn, Quickthorn, Whitethorn, Motherdie, and Haw. In the sunshine, the thousands of flowers add their distinctive scent to the spring air.

The oldest known Hawthorn in Britain, grows in a small village just south of Norwich, called Hethel.  It is thought to be over 700 years old.

Oak

Beside Osborne's Pond, a lone Oak tree stands guard over one end of the reservoir. At this time of year, the fresh, new leaves are opening and when viewed from below, with the sun shining through them, they look spectacular.

The quintessential 'English' Oak, has the scientific name Quercus robur,  the second part of the name 'robur' means 'strong, or hard timber' (as in 'robust'). This relates to it's long association with building everything, from ships to medieval halls.  The tree itself can live for well over 1000 years and the oldest in Britain is said to be either the Bowthorpe Oak in Lincolnshire or the Knightwood Oak in the New Forest, both of which are said to be around the 1000 year mark.  This one is nowhere near as old, but a lovely tree nevertheless.

Oaks are vital the British countryside as they support the highest biodiversity of insect herbivores of any British plant.  More than 400 different species of insect are said to rely on the Oak.  Birds too, rely on the tree.  One of the most obvious of these is the Jay (Garrulus glandarius) which harvests huge numbers of acorns, burying them as food store for the winter in much the same way as Squirrels do.  Jays are thought to be the primary propagators of Oak trees in the UK.

Violet

Our walk this morning, took us once again, through Shipley Park, up and around Shipley Hill, then down towards Osborne's Pond, before returning around the northern side of Shipley Lake and the Woodside LNR. While walking along, I spotted a beetle eagerly feeding on the remains of an earth worm and despite the gruesome scene, bent down to take a closer look.  It turned out to be a Violet Ground Beetle (Carabus violaceus).

These beetles are rather large and certainly very colourful as the sun catches their iridescent bodies. Fearsome hunters, they usually spend the daylight hours, skulking under logs and leaves, coming out after dark to feed on their prey of worms, slugs, snails and other insect species.  But this individual was clearly too hungry to let the meal of a worm go to waste.

Violet Ground Beetles are flightless but are fast runners.  Sadly, this one was not fast enough as, when we returned along the same path some time later, I found it again, but this time, it had been squashed under a clumsy foot or bicycle tyre.  It's a tough world out there when you're the size of a beetle.

Horse Chestnut

When fully grown, there are few trees in the British Isles to match the stately beauty of the Horse Chestnut. Familiar to all as the humble conker tree, they grow to an impressive height of well over 100ft and have the most wonderful compound leaves made of 5 -7 leaflets.  But it is the 'candelabra' flower spikes which make the best show.

Each individual flower is predominantly white, but with a delightful splash of pink or yellow in the centre.  Up to 50 flowers will be produced on each 'panicle' but usually only between 1 and 5 will develop into the familiar, green, spiny fruits we know so well.  Close up, the flowers are a thing of great beauty and one which can easily be missed when so far up in the tree.

While photographing this lovely flower, a Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) was busy feeding from them.

One of our more common species of Bee, they nest in old bird's nests, mouse runs and even abandoned bird boxes. A social bee, they live in colonies of up to 200 workers.  As busy as a bee!

Great!

Yesterday's walk, took us around Shipley Park towards Mapperley woods, the reservoir and the farmland beyond.  We were joined on our walk, by our friend Jayne and she turned out to be a lucky charm.  It is not often that I am able to tick off a 'new species' on my life list - particularly in Britain, but as we were walking through the woodland around Mapperley Reservoir, I noticed this large, yellow-flowered plant..

The four-petalled, cruciform petals, immediately made me think it was a member of the cabbage family.  The leaves, being glossy green and slightly 'rubbery' to touch, also pointed toward the cabbages.  Later, when we got home and I was able to consult the books however, it turned out to be a Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus).

We are used to the much smaller, Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) at this time of year as it hugs the ground and spreads its yellow flowers, but the Lesser, is a member of the family Ranunculaceae or Buttercups.  The Greater Celandine turns out to be a different family altogether, the Papaveraceae or Poppy family.

The whole plant is poisonous and it contains a particularly nasty toxin called Sanguinarine which can be lethal in large enough dose.  So, a new 'tick' for the life list.  Thanks Jayne!

An Apple a Day

Among the flowering trees of the hedgerows, the Apple trees have to be among the best and most colourful.

The pink-flushed blossom is opening all over the place at the moment and the bees are as grateful as the rest of us.

With beautiful flowers such as this, you don't need words.