Phenology - The Recording of Natural Events

In my flower blog last week I mentioned that the flowering blackthorn was recorded on the phenology website. Phenology is the study and recording the timing of natural events such as budburst, first flowering, fruiting, autumn leaf fall, hibernation, migration of birds, first songs, nesting, first butterflies seen etc. By monitoring these natural events and recording the dates on which they occur we can work out if spring is coming earlier and the information collected can be used to measure the effects of climate change. If you would like to find out more about phenology look at the Nature's Calendar website: http://www.naturescalendar.org.uk/

Early flowering plants to look out for on Radipole Lake and Lodmoor are:

 

 

Coltsfoot -  a member of the Daisy Family look out for these flowers from now until April.  Flowers appear long before leaves. The stems are a purplish woolly white.  There is a large colony at Lodmoor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesser Celandine - a member of the Buttercup Family, look out for these flowers from now until May in damp places. The heart shaped leaves are dark green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cuckoo Flower - a member of the Cabbage Family which comes into flower when the cuckoo arrives.The flowers are pale pink to deep lilac. Flowers from March to May in damp places.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garlic Mustard - also a  member of the Cabbage Family.  Plants flower from March to June in hedgerows. The heart shaped leaves are toothed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alder - a member of the Birch Family flowering from now until April by fresh water.  Male catkins are yellow and female catkins are purple.  Flowers before leaves appear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hawthorn - a member of the Rose Family flowers from early April to June.  Found in the hedgerows on the reserves.  The flowers are fragrant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blackthorn - also a member of the Rose Family and flowers from March to May before leaves appear.  Found in our hedgerows with hawthorn.

 

 

 

 

Also keep a close look at the ponds on the path to the North Hide at Radipole for frog spawn and tadpoles.  Early butterflies to look for on our reserves are brimstone, comma, orange tip, peacock, red admiral, small tortoiseshell and speckled wood.