What Springlike Signs Have You Seen?

[picog]

This year's first queen wasp.

I've had 8 in the house over the past week! Very dopey and crawling around on the floor — not good for bare feet!

I counted 21 ladybirds in the garden yesterday, the holly bush seems a popular place for them to sunbathe, i left alot of old flower stems standing through the winter, a good place for ladybirds to hibernate.

We too seem to have a lot of ladybirds — often in the kitchen windows, but also outside. Maybe last year was good for them.

[picog]

Had a newt swimming about in the dog's water bowl outside the back door last night!

[MP-R]

The number of shorts and tee-shirts out and about is quite disturbing! Only the Brits eh.

[picog]

Had a wasp fly onto me in the the local pub last night! Loads of frogs on the roads and driveways now, but no spawn yet. It generally arrives 7-8 March here, so still a week to go.

Edited February 29, 2012 by picog

[Snowangel-MK]

Loads of frogs on the roads and driveways now

Might be because it's a leap year.....

[leicsnow]

This is a strange one, but the amount of... earwigs... I've found in my house recently is weird!

Wasp? Goodness me that really is early!

Wasps hardly ever come out this early. Even last April in the warmth, when I went down south on holiday at Easter there were none, but plenty of bees!

In fact, wasps don't usually get annoying (going in houses) until around late July onward, then they are a menace until October!

Edited March 22, 2012 by Tellow

[sunsetter]

7 spot ladybird, small tortoiseshell butterfly, first flowers on blackthorn

[Benvironment]

Not much to see here in terms of wildflowers yet. Lesser Celandine and Coltsfoot.....but that's about it. Saw a confused peacock butterfly a month ago.

[picog]

7 spot ladybird, small tortoiseshell butterfly, first flowers on blackthorn

We've had blackthorn blossom for a few days now, perhaps even as far back as the weekend. A lot of hedgerow bushes starting to show signs of swelling buds.

[Sprites]

feline willow flowers with bees coloured yellow from all the pollen, and a chiff-chaff singing.

[DeepSnow]

Here its nice to see the trees with buds on them now opening or already in blossom, see a few bees around lately too!

[Osbourne One-Nil]

A red squirrel visiting the bird table constantly before running back into the hedge.

[Polar Maritime]

A red squirrel visiting the bird table constantly before running back into the hedge.

Nice to see some Red one's still kicking about, very rare to see any buy greys around here now.

[Crepuscular Ray]

You lucky expletive Oon. How gorgeous is that (the squirrel, I mean).

Lots of oil-seed rape already flowering here in Sussex.

[SP1986]

It will be interesting to see how the trees cope because although there is loads of rain it really is very cold and dull with very little useful light. I wonder whether this lack of heat and light will force trees to go back into dormancy and drop leaves? I'm not sure if this has happened before, but it would be interesting to see it as a measuring stick for how poor the weather has been/will be.

I say this because the trees have stopped growing their leaves now; and with no opportunity in the future to restart growth in some parts, I'm interested to know what the reaction will be.

[4wd]

They won't go dormant, however in recent years we have tended to have at least one serious frost of -3C or lower about mid-May.

This has completely blackened young ash and oak and sycamore leaves to the extent they fell away and were replaced by a second attempt of budding through June.

By late July they look relatively normal but rather thinner canopy than normal.

If this happens repeatedly they are going to be significantly damaged if not killed - with some very narrow growth rings.

This year Horse Chestnuts were trying to open leaves and even flower buds were visible by 1st April, these have gone very brown through the chill and frosts of April and almost no further expansion has occurred.

Frosted sycamore, May 2010

[SP1986]

Fascinating stuff there, that is of course the dangers of frost in a period when active growth occurs. Obviously such damage doesn't occur in Autumn because the tree has often gone dormant before the first major frost hits.

It is surprising that during a period of much needed rain, the growth has almost, or has stopped. I guess temperatures have a greater influence than rainfall in this respect.

[jethro]

It will be interesting to see how the trees cope because although there is loads of rain it really is very cold and dull with very little useful light. I wonder whether this lack of heat and light will force trees to go back into dormancy and drop leaves? I'm not sure if this has happened before, but it would be interesting to see it as a measuring stick for how poor the weather has been/will be.

I say this because the trees have stopped growing their leaves now; and with no opportunity in the future to restart growth in some parts, I'm interested to know what the reaction will be.

No they won't go dormant and drop their leaves, they'll just be a bit slower to put on full growth. If there's a harsh frost the leaves may get burnt, but again, it won't make any real difference. It takes a lot to kill a mature tree, a cooler than usual spell of weather certainly won't do it.

I'm puzzled why you say there would be no opportunity for growth to re-start?

[knocker]

Well the rogue willow in my garden has suddenly started growing at an express pace. The Sycamore isn't looking that clever though.

[jethro]

Well the rogue willow in my garden has suddenly started growing at an express pace. The Sycamore isn't looking that clever though.

Is that the same willow that was sprouting all over the place and you wanted to get rid of? If so, wait for the first available dry spell and start blitzing it with SPK brushwood killer.

[SP1986]

No they won't go dormant and drop their leaves, they'll just be a bit slower to put on full growth. If there's a harsh frost the leaves may get burnt, but again, it won't make any real difference. It takes a lot to kill a mature tree, a cooler than usual spell of weather certainly won't do it.

I'm puzzled why you say there would be no opportunity for growth to re-start?

I didn't mean for good, I meant over the next few weeks - now I look back on the post, I didn't actually clarify that, apologies!

There has never been damage here to trees in leaf from frost here, so I'm not worried about that.

One plant that is growing extremely well now is a Raspberry plant.

[jethro]

I didn't mean for good, I meant over the next few weeks - now I look back on the post, I didn't actually clarify that, apologies!

There has never been damage here to trees in leaf from frost here, so I'm not worried about that.

One plant that is growing extremely well now is a Raspberry plant.

Mmmmm, yum yum, my favourite.

Despite being down in the mild SW, we often get frost damage to trees, it doesn't seem to do them any harm.

Really, it's only in recent years that we've got used to early growth and getting on with the gardening in early spring. The official Royal Horticultural advice is, and always has been, do not plant tender plants out until the end of May at the earliest.

[SP1986]

I remember when Geraniums (Pelargoniums) used to go through the winter without dying back (through the 90's), Springs have always been variable though, some were Spring is late, some where it is early.

I do think the Spring planting thing is often overstated; the only plant I have ever lost in mild Spring frosts in March/April is Bizzie Lizzies, which are very tender. Other bedding plants seem to tolerate Spring frost better than many think. Unfortunately many have tendency to rot in cold, wet weather though, like for example what we are seeing now.

[knocker]

Is that the same willow that was sprouting all over the place and you wanted to get rid of? If so, wait for the first available dry spell and start blitzing it with SPK brushwood killer.

It is. I'll take your advice. Thanks.

[Evening thunder]

Here the trees have become pretty slow too after some were coming into leaf by early April. There has been slow progress on some trees though. Although this has just put things back to a more normal timing after starting early.The typical plant/grass/cow parsley growth next to lanes seems to be occuring slowly but surely though. I think the rain has helped and expect when it does warm up things will grow pretty quickly. Many days have reached near the Mid-April average here at 12/13C, but we have had as many air frosts as any other month this year! Yesterday actually reached a probably about average 13.8C.

I have never noticed any trees leaves going brown/being frost damaged here though, not in May 2010 when we got down to -0.8C.

I don't think we've had a lack of light here. I think there was decent sunshine here to the south of most showers yesterday (though was elsewhere most of yesterday). Monday only had a few brief glimpses of sunshine, but even Wednesday had a bit in the morning before more heavy showers later. Before that I can't remember when the last overcast day with no sun was, every day seemed to have some between any showers and many have seemed to have decent amounts over the last few weeks.

What I'm secretly hoping, is that we get plenty of water in the ground now and then a warm/hot summer with a few rain/some thunderstorm events to keep things going.