Behold the Crocus Carpet!

 For one week only, the cemetery crocus carpet made its glorious annual re-appearance, decorating the houses of the dead with luxurious splashes of purple and white, and giving a haven for early season pollinators.

They barely seem to last now, made even more ephemeral by the rain falling like an anvil on them just as they reach their peak, a modern day feature of local winters that results in a a chaos of savaged petals and broken stems after a few scant days of glory.

But while they are there, they are stunning.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 27.02.24

A Most Spectacular Display

 There is little I can say about the unbelievable display of crocuses in the cemetery that photographs can't say better.

Suffice to say, it's amazing every year, but this year, it seems especially spectacular. And as ever, its ephemeral beauty will last barely more than a week.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 24.02.23

First Bumbley Bumble of 2023

 I took myself off for a walk this afternoon, on what has surely been the mildest day of the year so far with sun lighting up up the beautiful purple and white crocuses in the cemetery, of which more anon...

Always this is is my favourite time of the year, as regular readers of this blog over the years will know, and at the risk of posting repetitive content, I love to show you the nature landmarks of late winter and spring. 

I'm now getting used to seeing honeybees on the crocuses this February; they seem to have been up and about for a couple of weeks now. But I had not yet seen a bumblebee, and figured the lush crocus crop of the cemetery would be the best place to find one. 

I was frustrated at first, wondering why on earth there wouldn't be a bumble about on a day like this. I had to walk through about three quarters of the cemetery, eyes glued to the ground and being watched quizzically by a number of very chubby squirrels who seem to have wintered extremely well.

And then, lifting its fuzzy body out of a flower cup, was a big buff-tailed bumblebee queen so covered in pollen I initially thought it was a different species. I followed it as it dived into another crocus, and managed to get some photographs as it fed, almost ecstatically. 

Such a cheering sight. I hope you too are starting to see buzzy things on the wing!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 20.02.23

My Crocus Babies

 Time to update you with some crocus news!

Well, my little crocuses have been growing away in their planters and pots, and got to the stage when their blooms were in place, but not opened up.

Or so I thought.

It took me having time off work to deal with a big electrical safety test at my flat to realise that on a sunny day, they were very much opening up! And looked absolutely wonderful to boot.

There's two sad things about this though. The first is that I've not noticed any pollinators on them. That doesn't mean they haven't been dropping in, but that I haven't seen them. My sister thinks I need to have them higher up on the wall, but we will see.

The other sad thing is, is that they are already going over their best after only two weeks. Spring is so ephemeral, the glorious crocus carpets in the cemetery have totally disappeared just a week after the ground was like a huge purple and white flag. 

In other news, it took a very long time, but my bird feeders have finally been noticed. The local sparrows keep dropping in on the seed feeder, flapping off whenever I open my door. But I have caught them on it a couple of times!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 21.03.22

Spring has Most Definitely Sprung

 We've had some pretty decent, if not spectacular, spring weather over the last few days, and although I've had the irritation of electrical work at my flat, I've been able to get out on the nicer days and see what's about. 

The first butterfly of the season has been spotted, but not a brimstone as is usually the case. It was a small tortoiseshell, and it was in the passageway at my flat, shivering on the ground.

I managed to get it onto my fingers, and move into the warm sun in my little suntrap yard. It fibrillated its wings for a while, something I always associate with this species, and then after gaining enough strength from the solar rays took off all of a sudden, easy as you like, and it was gone. 

I saw brimstones later on that same day; flying fast, never settling, lemon yellow males flying swiftly through the air. 

The hawthorn and blackthorn blossom is out in the park, forming the beautiful arch of flowers in the orchard as it does every year. Amid these blooms bumblebees were buzzing, the buff tailed queens now joined by white tailed bumblebees and a single red tailed bumblebee too now. I think there are a few workers around too, as I noticed several smaller bumbles around. 

When not feeding, other queens were searching for suitable nest holes on the ground to found their new colonies in. 

The chiff chaffs are singing now, but I haven't heard one yet. Teasing little birds, I've seen lots of photos of them out and about, and by heaven I've hardly ever seen one even though I've heard hundreds of them. 

I think they throw their voices so I can't find them. In fact I swear they do!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 15.03.22

2022's First Honey Bees

 Trying to forget all the awfulness around at the moment is important, and so on my walks I'm trying to be extra mindful of what I might see. 

It takes your mind off things for a few minutes. 

It's fair to say that this Spring is not exactly very Spring-like yet; it is cold, wet, and windy and the rare days on which the sun is out are off-set by low temperatures and a biting breeze.

That being said, when the sun is out I have seen a few insects out on a couple of days. The gorse bush at work had a busy little group of bees working on it last week, and today the cemetery crocus carpets had some hardy worker bees gathering pollen on them today. 

I've still only seen the one bumble close up, and it is far too cold for the first brimstones to be on the wing. I have my wildflower meadow flowers to plant, probably next weekend.

Got to keep doing positive things, no matter how small.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 07.03.22

Crocuses Rampant

 Well, here I am, back again.

Truth is I've been unwell. My sister came over to visit, we went out for the evening, and then the following Sunday two days later, I went down with some sort of virus. 

Achey limbs, foggy head, a bit of a cough, a bit of nausea...I thought I knew where this was heading, but I took a C19 test that was negative. So, it was nothing more than a cold type thing, albeit a cold that flattened me rather more than most of those viral beasties do. 

I was really unable to do very much at all for about 5 days, and felt very sorry myself. Tried to go for a walk or two but it really wasn't happening, I don't handle being ill well at all, it makes me very gloomy, but my body was utterly uninterested in doing nothing other than lazing about.

This seems to be the same for a lot of people at the moment, two years isolated from most organisms and then BANG! one comes along and wipes you out. 

Luckily over the last two or three days I've finally felt better, if inclined to sneeze. I was able to get out for 90 minutes yesterday, to take in the explosion of colour in the cemetery as the purple and white crocuses have exploded into life, seemingly in the course of about 48 hours over the weekend. 

They are, as ever, an utterly stunning sight, but given the brightness of the weather on Monday, I'm slightly surprised that there were any bees or bumbles feeding off them. 

Perhaps they have caught colds as well.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 22.02.22

White Flowers, Yellow Flowers, Purple Flowers

 Amidst all the strong wins blowing from Malik and Corrie, I managed to get one good walk in, and more bravely, a visit to an enclosed space for cricket practice. Yikes!

Me, and my rickety ankle, came through that ok, although I didn't bowl amazingly well and probably never will again. Bowling was preferable however to the insane physical jerks the coach was putting the younger players from the first team through. Us older ones were wise enough to stay out of that. 

Still, it helped with my Tourette tics, which have been occasionally rather wild the last few days. I need to burn a lot of energy up on the days when I can. 

As for the walking, just the usual bimble to the park, through the cemetery and around the lake. More flowers are out, the aconite forming familiar yellow carpets around the usual grave, and under the trees in Friary Gardens. The snowdrops have their allocated spots, the crocuses theirs. Everything comes back in the same place, year after year. 

Later on it will be the primroses by the ditch, and the long lines of daffodils along the path. And I have my place too, walking among it every late winter and spring. 

It brings about a sort of peace, this repetition.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 01.02.22