Smelly May

If you've been out and about you will have noticed various botanical smells. Wild garlic, bluebells, nettles and hawthorn (may) blossom all have distinctive smells.

And walking out into my garden, the wonderful smell of honeysuckle pervaded the air and hopefully drew moths to its flowers.

Some plants you need to touch to get their scent. Sweet cicely is an umbel (a flower cluster) that grows on road verges - in the white peak especially. Its flowers are creamier than those of cow parsley so it's easy to spot as you drive around. Crush the leaves and there's a strong smell of aniseed.

The magic of oaks

May is the month to admire and revel in the majesty of oak trees, especially veteran trees.

This year they have come into leaf and flower very early. The unique bronze colour of the newly opening leaves is a remarkable colour, though it soon changes into a light green which is very different from the many other greens on offer at this time of the year.

So many insects feed on oak leaves with a whole raft of parasitic and predatory species to boot.

Yesterday, beneath one oak, I found the remains of several oak apples which perhaps had been predated by birds or squirrels.

In spring, a tiny female parasitic wasp called Biorhiza pallida emerges from the soil beneath an oak tree and lays her eggs on the buds of oak leaves. The tree responds by creating a mass of tissue in the shape and colours of a small apple. Inside the wasp's larvae feed on this tissue with as many as thirty in one oak apple.

Birds to spot

Earlier this month, I paid a visit to Willington Wetlands which was looking superb in the early morning sun.No sooner than I'd reached the excellent new first viewing platform than a cuckoo flew past right in front of me calling or should I say singing?And in the distance, four great egrets stood together at the water's edge.

With news of many other exciting birds now using the reserve  (including an osprey which caught a roach before flying off), it looks more and more like the extensive and brilliant wetlands that comprise the Avalon Marches in Somerset.

Dragonflies enjoy the sun

I'm hearing that many species of both damsel and dragonfly are now on the wing and doubtless thriving in the sunshine. Black tailed skimmers, banded demoiselles, common and azure damselflies have been seen.

In my own small garden pond, both azure and large red damselflies have appeared and while clearing algae, I've found several larvae of southern hawker dragonflies, a species which won't be airborne for at least another month in a 'normal' summer.

See you next month!

Nick