April showers bring May flowers as the saying goes, and in May you'll find an abundance of flora springing to life at Lochwinnoch. But the flowers you see around you aren't just pretty to look at; they can tell you a lot about the character and quality of the habitat you're in.
In Scotland ancient woodland is defined as any woodland area that has existed since 1750 with much of what remains occurring in small but increasingly valuable fragments. Ancient woodland exists in many forms from the pine-dominated Caledonian forest of the Highlands, the Atlantic oakwoods of the west coast and the riparian woodland you'll find here at Lochwinnoch. Thanks to their age, ancient woodlands can be home to a unique array of plants, lichens and fungi that are absent in younger woodlands due to being outcompeted by faster-growing species or lacking the right conditions.
Bluebells are one of the most familiar woodland plants and seeing a bluebell wood in bloom being one of the natural spectacles of spring. Where bluebells are in abundance is a sure sign that you're in an old and special habitat. During May and June at Lochwinnoch, a walk up the Aird Meadow trail and on to our new boardwalk will give you the chance to see banks of bluebells in bloom, something that can brighten up any day no matter what the weather is doing.
Other ancient woodland indicators you can spot include the deadly poisonous dog's mercury which forms a dense leafy understory layer and ferns like hart's tongue fern which is easy to separate from other ferns due to its undivided leaves and can be spotted growing amongst old drystone walls. Also look out for the bright pink flowers of red campion, a favorite of many insects, and the unmistakable wild garlic or 'ramsons' with its white flowers and glossy garlic-smelling leaves.
Bluebells on the Aird Meadow trail – Lauren McLean
If rain brings the flowers, then the flowers bring the insects. As May progresses many of our familiar and beloved butterfly species will begin to appear in large numbers.
There are several species of butterfly which can be regularly seen at Lochwinnoch including the peacock, small tortoiseshell, meadow brown, ringlet, red admiral, small copper, green-veined white and orange-tip.
In May, the aforementioned orange-tip can often be seen in large numbers as the males with their namesake 'orange-tipped' wings emerge first, followed by the black-tipped females roughly a week later. The orange-tip is particularly at home here as one of its foodplants, the cuckooflower, grows abundantly in damp grassland and wetland environments. But once, the orange-tip was not so common. In fact, in the early 1900s the orange-tip was extinct throughout the majority of Scotland before rebounding from the two remaining populations in Dumfriesshire and Speyside, increasing its range by over 100% between the 1970s and the early 2000s.
Orange-tip butterfly pair - Lauren McLean
May is also one of the best months to appreciate the dawn chorus in all its glory - if you're willing to forfeit an hour or two of sleep! The vast majority of our summer migrants will have joined our resident species on their breeding territories and be busy singing away to advertise their claim to a patch.
The first birds to start singing around an hour before dawn are often the blackbirds, thrushes and robins with other species joining in as the morning progresses. By late morning and early afternoon birds will spend more time foraging causing the intensity of birdsong to dwindle. If you do decide to plan an early morning walk to listen to the dawn chorus the best days are those which are calm, still, and clear, which allows sound to travel further.
Alternatively, Sunday the 7th of May is international dawn chorus day and there are lots of opportunities to join guided walks with the RSPB on various reserves. You can find out more about dawn chorus day here - https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/events-dates-and-inspiration/events/dawn-chorus/
Song thrush in song - Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)
Written by Lauren McLean - Volunteer