Danish invaders and kingcups!

The Danish Invasion

300 yrs on from the Vikings, the Danes are still coming after us! The salty spray produced by cars during the winter months makes the central reservations of motorways a hostile place for many plants but Danish scurvy grass, which usually grows on sea-cliffs, likes this environment. It is in flower now and produces the thousands of tiny white flowers that pepper the ground in the middle of motorways and along the verges. Danish scurvy grass is continuing its advance inland and is now spreading along the A-roads. The plants in this picture are growing alongside the A638, just outside Ackworth.

Danish scurvy grass

Danish scurvy grass along the roadside verges

Kingcups

The wet weather over the past twelve months might have been bad for some species but it has been beneficial for this large patch of marsh marigolds in Hemsworth. Growing in some particularly damp ground beneath a stand of crack willow, the recent sunny days have brought them into flower producing a carpet of large yellow flowers.

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

More spring sightings

Mark Archer sent in a report from Walton Nature Reserve which included the following: 2 grass snakes, 6 brimstone butterflies, 8 peacock butterflies and cuckoo. Flowers in bloom included cowslip, wood anenome, colt’s-foot and celandine.

Brimstones were recorded at Walton Hall along the canal and in my garden in Ryhill we had 2 peacock butterflies and a red admiral – a good over-wintering record.

brimstone at Walton nature reserve

brimstone at Walton nature reserve

A walk round Walton golf course today provided heather with great views of whitethroat, great spotted woodpecker, willow warbler & chiffchaff and super views of tawny owl being harranged by the local tit flock. Celandine is in flower everywhere at the moment, here’s one from Heather….

celandine (Ranunculus ficaris)

celandine (Ranunculus ficaris)

Sightings: 18th April

Mark Archer reports 3 common sandpipers on the River Calder at Smalley Bight sewage works, Stanley. They can be seen flitting along the river banks. Also a number of swallows there as well.
Swallows seen at Newmillerdam, Cold Hiendley and Ryhill over the past week too.

Common sandpiper

First frogspawn, late date!

The first frogspawn of the year appeared in my pond  at Hemsworth today. This date – 1st April – is the latest that the frogs have spawned in my garden as far back as I can remember. Usually, the frogspawn appears in late February or early March. Frogs have been active for some weeks but have disappeared each time the pond has frozen over. It will be interesting to see how much damage the frogspawn will suffer during the cold nights expected in the next few days.

frogspawn in Hemsworth pond

frogspawn in Hemsworth