It's been a long winter this year, and we didn't have as much snow as much of the UK, which makes a change as being on high ground, we usually have more snow than most other places.
I'm seeing evidence of climate change in the garden and local countryside. Flowers are arriving at odd times.
The Primroses arrived in January, before the snowdrops - which arrived in early March, along with the Hellebores. My Daphne bush, which usually produces lots of fabulously scented pink flowers in February, hasn't flowered at all this year - the first time that's happened in 12 years.
The crocuses, which we usually see in February, have come out in the last week, and I haven't seen any tulips yet.
The Daffodils are finally putting up flower buds but none are open yet, here in the Brecon Beacons. I was in Carmarthenshire one day this week, and the Daffodils were all blooming there, so it won't be long!
There were also wild Celandines in flower in Carmarthenshire, but our plants don't even have flower buds yet - thank goodness. These wild plants are a major weed in my garden,and every year I remove what feels like acres of them, but there are always more the next spring...
The frogs have finally laid spawn in the pond this week. Last year they laid spawn too early, in mid February. It took months for them to hatch and finally turn into froglets - some were still tadpoles in August. I wonder if this years spawn, laid later, will take less time to develop.
I'm seeing evidence of climate change in the garden and local countryside. Flowers are arriving at odd times.
The Primroses arrived in January, before the snowdrops - which arrived in early March, along with the Hellebores. My Daphne bush, which usually produces lots of fabulously scented pink flowers in February, hasn't flowered at all this year - the first time that's happened in 12 years.
The crocuses, which we usually see in February, have come out in the last week, and I haven't seen any tulips yet.
The Daffodils are finally putting up flower buds but none are open yet, here in the Brecon Beacons. I was in Carmarthenshire one day this week, and the Daffodils were all blooming there, so it won't be long!
There were also wild Celandines in flower in Carmarthenshire, but our plants don't even have flower buds yet - thank goodness. These wild plants are a major weed in my garden,and every year I remove what feels like acres of them, but there are always more the next spring...
The frogs have finally laid spawn in the pond this week. Last year they laid spawn too early, in mid February. It took months for them to hatch and finally turn into froglets - some were still tadpoles in August. I wonder if this years spawn, laid later, will take less time to develop.
