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What Springlike Signs Have You Seen?


Andy Bown

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Posted
  • Location: Taasinge, Denmark
  • Location: Taasinge, Denmark

Some plants are highly sensitive to daylength. Onions for example. I sow them in February, which is still deep winter over here. They germinate in the house, but as soon as they are up, they go in the greenhouse all day for the light. They care not about the temperature, but being exposed to quickly increasing daylength, they know it is time to get on with it, and they grow on well. Deprive them just a little of light and they will not grow. Similarly, by mid-summer, the plants have reached full size, and the constant daylength is their signal for the bulbs to swell. It never fails, and by the third week in July, the stems toppple over, and that's it for the year.

Spinach is another example. I sow it late August. The plants develop gently until around now, then become dormant. They are very hardy and survive 10 degrees of frost easily. By February they begin to wake up again, and start to grow at a steady rate, making fine new succulent leaves. Harvest a whole year's supply in April or early May. I leave about 8 plants to make seed, and by July, they are waist-high with stems as thick as my wrist. I find it impossible to sow spinach in spring because the plants think they are behind schedule, and they quite literally reach for the sky and go to seed.

Edited by Alan Robinson
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Posted
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms :D
  • Location: Cheltenham,Glos

I'm not so sure about Spring right now.The RSPB are claiming November has been more like Summer this year!

November summer

Last modified: 18 November 2011

Wasp nectaring

Look out for ivy which is providing refuge for insects still on the wing in November

The clocks might have gone back and Christmas shopping started but in the garden at least, summer hasn’t quite ended, says the RSPB.

The wildlife charity has been inundated with the kind of calls it would usually expect to receive in the summer for the past few weeks, showing how much of an impact the recent balmy weather has had on garden creatures.

Summer migrants like swifts and swallows which would traditionally head back to their winter homes by September are still being reported around the UK, particularly in the North.

Blue tits were being seen taking food for young to their nests throughout October, which suggest they may have had an elongated breeding period and a second brood of young, despite usually only having one each summer.

Ducks were still frequently nesting under hedges throughout October too, whereas ducklings would usually be fully grown by late August. Even this week ducklings have been spotted sticking close to their mothers, which is extremely late.

Garden bird feeders and tables are seemingly deserted as food is still available in the wider countryside. It is usually from July-September that the RSPB receives lots of worried calls asking ‘where have all my birds gone?’ as they are still finding an abundance of berries and insects but throughout November many have still not returned for our hospitality.

Insects like wasps and ladybirds are still being seen in large numbers, particularly inside houses.

And even butterflies are sticking around with red admirals being most commonly seen around plants like ivy.

Tom waters, RSPB Wildlife Adviser, says: “The kind of calls we get at this time of year have been very different this year. We’re usually in the throes of taking about helping garden birds survive the cold weather, but actually people aren’t seeing many of them yet as they’re still getting all they need form further afield.

“It’s as if its still summer out there!

“However winter will of course come and it’s great that people are thinking about their wildlife. Get prepared before the cold weather finally hits –stock up your feeders and tables as garden birds will need our hospitality eventually.â€

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/297769-november-summer?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=News

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

Out in the countryside of Sussexshire yesterday feeding the family horse. Still got sloes on the trees and I even picked a few russet apples from a neighbouring orchard (no not scrupmed!!)

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Posted
  • Location: Runcorn, Cheshire
  • Weather Preferences: Snowy winters, hot, sunny springs and summers.
  • Location: Runcorn, Cheshire

There's no signs of spring around here.

Mainly due to the fact that in my area, it's pretty much ALWAYS mild. So nothing different from an average month.

Either that or the factories kill everything. :lol:

Edited by Backtrack
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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Heswall, Wirral
  • Weather Preferences: Summer: warm, humid, thundery. Winter: mild, stormy, some snow.
  • Location: Heswall, Wirral

As of December the 10th, its still summer in some parts of the town with Geraniums, and Snapdragons still in flower.

Also other flowers, still quite something for December, though not unheard of here, we have Geraniums flower right through the winter of 2006-2007.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: ILCHESTER
  • Location: ILCHESTER

Some remarkable things going on around here, considering this is a local cold spot. Many of the bushes and small trees in the garden are budding, we have white flowers that smell like onions/garlic (not sure what they are called) as well as a number of daffodils. Our cherry has been in blossom for 2 weeks and a numner of our potted and free growing roses have flowered. On the eastern outskirts of Yeovil there have been quite large areas of daffs in flower since early December, the display yesterday looked quite incredible. I've also seen a number of baby birds across the last few days, hopefully they will be big and strong enough to survive come mid Jan, IF we see a dramatic change to cold, but at the moment everything here looks at least 2-3 months ahead of schedule.

Edited by shedhead
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Posted
  • Location: Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire 16m asl
  • Location: Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire 16m asl

Luckily no real signs here yet apart from daffodils poking through the soil. The birds however do seem very active at the moment and when temperatures are as high as they are at the moment there is no real suprise. 2006 was much worse for early signs of spring here in North east Lincolnshire.

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Posted
  • Location: Longlevens, 16m ASL (H)/Bradley Stoke, 75m ASL (W)
  • Weather Preferences: Hot sunny summers, cold snowy winters
  • Location: Longlevens, 16m ASL (H)/Bradley Stoke, 75m ASL (W)

No signs of spring here either, the main difference in the back garden compared to the last couple of years, is the fact we still have berries left on the Holly. I know there are some early varieties of Daffs that usually come out in January/February time, the missus was born in Yeovil and I have always said that place must be in another dimension :p

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Posted
  • Location: ILCHESTER
  • Location: ILCHESTER

Luckily no real signs here yet apart from daffodils poking through the soil. The birds however do seem very active at the moment and when temperatures are as high as they are at the moment there is no real suprise. 2006 was much worse for early signs of spring here in North east Lincolnshire.

I don't remember seeing pre Xmas daffs here even in mildest mid 2000 winters, but they have been prolific on the outskirts of Yeovil for well over a fortnight now, so unless the council have planted a particularly early flowering variety (if such a thing exists) it's remarkable to see such a show at this time of year.

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Posted
  • Location: Llanwnnen, Lampeter, Ceredigion, 126m asl (exotic holidays in Rugby/ Coventry)
  • Location: Llanwnnen, Lampeter, Ceredigion, 126m asl (exotic holidays in Rugby/ Coventry)

Song Thrush singing in Carmarthen the other day.

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Posted
  • Location: Warminster, Wiltshire
  • Location: Warminster, Wiltshire

I started a thread on this subject back in November in the Nature section of the forum so maybe the 2 could be merged? ...

http://forum.netweather.tv/topic/71553-signs-of-spring/

Saw many daffodils in flower on road verges near Yeovil a few days ago.

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Posted
  • Location: Cleeve, North Somerset
  • Weather Preferences: Continental winters & summers.
  • Location: Cleeve, North Somerset

At the house in Egham, roses began flowering again in early October courtesy of the very warm spell and didn't fade again until mid-late November.

At home here, we have berries around, the heebie (if that's how you spell it) is still flowering despite a few frosts and horrendous gales last week, and now daffodils are budding. I'm sure when winter arrives this will be put on hold.

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

the Camelia next door has two buds almost open and their Lavateria is flowing again. I have 2 daffodils in a pot by the dining room patio door(outside) that may well be in flower in a few days time!

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Posted
  • Location: chorlton,manchester.
  • Weather Preferences: snow!!!
  • Location: chorlton,manchester.

oodles of honey bees out and about, sunning themselves on the back door, (its called a cleansing flight - they dont go to the loo in the hive) and crocuses out, but apple blossom too...

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Posted
  • Location: Runcorn, Cheshire
  • Weather Preferences: Snowy winters, hot, sunny springs and summers.
  • Location: Runcorn, Cheshire

I spotted the earliest April Fools joke ever published in The Sun http://www.thesun.co...r-for-2012.html

To be fair, I thought his prediction for January and February was in reason.

The rest is just plain silly. How can anyone predict that far out?

Piers Corbyn's brother?

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Posted
  • Location: Whitkirk, Leeds 86m asl
  • Weather Preferences: Anything but mild south-westeries in winter
  • Location: Whitkirk, Leeds 86m asl

Am I living on an alien planet? There are absolutely no signs of spring here, everything has died for the winter.

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Posted
  • Location: Chester-le-street,Co.Durham
  • Location: Chester-le-street,Co.Durham

Am I living on an alien planet? There are absolutely no signs of spring here, everything has died for the winter.

Thats just what I was thinking, everything is as it should be...dormant!!

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Posted
  • Location: Napton on the Hill Warwickshire 500ft
  • Weather Preferences: Snow and heatwave
  • Location: Napton on the Hill Warwickshire 500ft

I spotted the earliest April Fools joke ever published in The Sun http://www.thesun.co...r-for-2012.html

I have seen a lot of shops doing Sales , it amazing how fast Christmas went this year.

Have not seen any Easter Eggs yet but hope to in the next 2 weeks.

Seen many 'winters over posts' so I suppose its time to get my Plastic spar out again.

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Posted
  • Location: ILCHESTER
  • Location: ILCHESTER

Apols, didn't realise there was another fred going similar to the one I started, but it doesn't surprise me. Clearly not everyone across the country is seeing the same kind of thing, but in the last hour I've had a chat with the

head gardener at a large nearby estate, who said he hasn't witnessed the level of flowing/budding he's seen since early December across 34 years in the same job/location. So some excellent anecdotal evidence that things

are exceptionally well advanced, at least in this neck of the woods.

I spotted the earliest April Fools joke ever published in The Sun http://www.thesun.co...r-for-2012.html

I'd suggest that is an excellent, well presented and very professional forecast.... :p

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Posted
  • Location: north wiltshire
  • Location: north wiltshire

Grass continues to grow, wasp wandering around groggily on the decking yesterday, quite a few ladybirds and amazingly, a couple of rogue tomatoes ripening in outside pots. This morning was 20c up on this time last year.

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Posted
  • Location: ILCHESTER
  • Location: ILCHESTER

Grass continues to grow, wasp wandering around groggily on the decking yesterday, quite a few ladybirds and amazingly, a couple of rogue tomatoes ripening in outside pots. This morning was 20c up on this time last year.

Sounds even more amazing than here.. :good: Talking of tomatoes, we never picked one until Sept 19th, but the crop just kept coming and coming thereafter - we picked the last useable 1/2 dozen on Nov 4th and barbecued them on the vine while setting off fireworks. Rather surreal..

I think if we take an overview of the last 12 months, it's hardly a surprise that nature is confused, especially in the south. This time last year it was thrown from Autumn into deepests of freezes in Dec, then for many Spring sprang in late Jan/early Feb. Summer then arrived with avengence in April, but pretty much vanished through June, July and August, only to reappear in October. Since then nature has probably expected Winter to blast in once again, only to be presented with almost perpetual mid Autumn.

Edited by shedhead
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