Dogs

A walk through the woodland which used to be known as "Dog Kennel Coppice" and which now makes up a part of the footpath around Shipley Country Park, reveals the emergence of hundreds of small, bright green plants.

These are Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis) and are always among the first green shoots to be seen in Spring.  Looking quite 'perky' in the deep shade under the trees, they are already in full flower as you can see.

The flower buds are a distinctive, triangular shape opening to reveal a bunch of yellow-tipped stamens.  Poisonous to most animals, it has proved fatal to sheep.  Fortunately it has a nasty smell and an extremely acrid taste so ingestion is rare.  Culpepper, speaks of it's 'rank poisonous' qualities in his famous "Herbal".

The name derives from the medicinal virtues of the plant which were first revealed by the God Mercury - apparently!  The Greeks called it Mercury's Grass.  The prefix 'dog' probably comes from the old English way of putting 'dog' before the name of any plant which lacks fragrance (such as Dog Violet, Dog Rose, etc), or other, useful properties normally associated with plants of the same family.  Not bad for a common, garden 'weed'.

Blackthorn

Misty again this morning as we set out for our walk.  But, by the time we got home again, the clouds were breaking and the sun was trying to burst through.

The hedgerows are also beginning to burst, with blossom.  First on the list of spring flowers are the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa).  Also known as Sloes, these bushes are very common around these parts.

The flowers, resplendent with large numbers of yellow-tipped stamens appear before the leaves open, so you get to see them in all their glory, unfettered by greenery.  By the number of unopened buds still adorning the branches, this promises to be another floriferous year - as was last year - If only the sun would shine a little, they might have the chance to open and enjoy it.  And so might we!

Stock

We had a trip to King's Lynn yesterday, to visit my mother.  As usual, mum's garden was full of birds, all helping themselves to her feeders and bird-table full of grain and bread.  Among the most common birds seen yesterday were Stock Doves (Columba oenas).

Smaller and neater than the Wood Pigeons which were also to be seen, Stock Doves also lack the Wood Pigeon's white flashes on the neck.  When the light catches the plumage of Stock Doves, the iridescence shows well, especially with the metallic green 'smudge' on the neck.

The name 'Stock' is thought to come from the Old English word Stocc, meaning tree-stump, log or post.  This is surely a reference to this bird's habit of nesting in holes in trees, unlike most of our native doves and pigeons.  This wood would then be taken by people as 'stock' firewood.

Erica

There is a shrub growing among the trees of the old Hall gardens on Shipley Hill, which is almost smothered with flowers at this time of year.  Standing at least 12ft high, it is quite a sight to behold.

The bell-shaped flowers are best seen close to, but from a distance, they seem to form a froth of white covering the bush.  It is, of course a Pieris, commonly known as Andromeda.

Pieris belong to the family of plants known as Ercaceaea (know you know where the title of today's blog entry comes from).  The family is perhaps more well known for it's heathers than for Pieris, but looking closely at the flowers, you can see where the familial bond lies.

The plant is very poisonous, containing a substance known as Andromedotoxin (also found in Rhododendrons and Azaleas).  Ingesting the leaves, or even the nectar of this plant can cause tingling sensations, salivation, nose and eyes watering, nausea, vomiting, sweating, abdominal pain, headache, weakness, convulsions and rarely death.  Quite a list for such a beautiful plant and one which is so widely planted in our ornamental borders.  Despite this sinister side, it remains a magnificently showy plant.

More Flowers

A second fine day saw us once again striking out for Shipley Hill, but this time tackling it from a different angle.  Heading out towards Mapperley Village, we enjoyed the scenery for the first time this year.  Among the grass at the side of the footpaths, the Colts Foot (Tussilago farfara) flowers are beginning to show their colour.

The scientific name Tussilago may seem a little familiar.  This is because of a cough medicine called Robitussin which takes it's name (at least in part) from this plant.  Tussilago actually means 'cough supressant'.  The plant has been used for various ailments including skin conditions and lung problems.  The flowers were dried and smoked in tobacco pipes at one time.

The Yew trees (Taxus baccata) are also in flower right now.  The small flowers are not easily recognisable and certainly not as 'flower-like' as the Colts Foot.

It was a longer walk today and by the time we had walked through the village, crossed the dam of Mapperley reservoir, climbed Shipley Hill and circled the top taking in both Nottingham and Derby Lodges, we were ready for home and our elevenses.  Malcolm seemed ready for home in this picture.

Flowers

Malcolm and I had a lovely walk around Shipley hill this morning.  Once again, the skies were blue and the sun shone on us as we picked our way through the woodland atop the hill.  Here, the old water tower which once provided water to the Hall and it's gardens is standing proud in the sun.  I believe it is up for sale if you have a spare half million to spend!

Looking down the hill towards Mapperley, we look through what is known as Horsepool Woods and the sight of shoots beginning to burst from almost all the trees and shrubs.  Polypore fungi cover the stumps of long-felled Beech trees which, in turn provide feeding platforms for birds and squirrels.

Amid the trees which surround the old Hall, many are in flower at the moment.  Pieris, Maple and Yew trees to name a few.  But some of the most colourful flowers are those which belong to the Mahonia shrubs.

Commonly known as Oregon Grapes, they get this name from their bunches of purple berries which resemble grapes.  The leaves could make you think these plants are related to Holly trees, but this is simply a coincidence.  They are in fact, related to the Berberis family and are part of the Ranunculales order - which includes Buttercups of all things!

The drifts of Snowdrops beneath the trees are beginning to make way for stands of Daffodils now.  Small bunches of Daffodils are opening their flowers to the sun, glowing with a butter-yellow glow in the shade of the woodland floor.

It was very windy this morning and the roar of the wind through the still bare branches of the trees was a little disconcerting at times.  The number of twigs which had clearly fallen and littered the ground, did little to allay such thoughts.  But the Daff's looked beautiful as they nodded in the breeze.

Brighter

A beautiful day - at last!  The only bad thing about bright, blue-skied mornings at this time of year, is the very cold night which invariably precedes them and this morning was no different.  It was bitterly cold as Malcolm and I set out for a walk and frost was still glistening on the grass where houses had shaded the turf from the rising sun.  But, the sky was clear blue and the birds were singing their little hearts out.
Walking through the old car park of the American Adventure theme park, we were struck by these small, red flowers beginning to open on a couple of trees.

Resembling the flowers of the Hazel trees, but with a more 'furry' look to them, they are not the 'usual', petaled flowers we are used to and as yet I have not been able to identify them.

The trees were no more than 12ft tall and obviously of an ornamental, non-native type, planted for decoration around the car park.  If anyone has any idea what they may be, please leave a comment.  Meanwhile, I will continue to search.  I hate to be defeated!