Signs of spring: Hazel catkins

Hazel catkins are a sure sign that spring is in progress. The yellow catkins are the male flowers, dangling and spreading their pollen into the drifting winds. It is always worth carrying with you a hand lens so that you can take a look at the much smaller, red female flowers which catch the scattered pollen on sticky red tufts

For centuries, hazel has been grown for its wood using coppicing – a traditional method that involves cutting trees to ground level and allowing them to re-grow and produce multiple long, strong stems. The hazel catkin is often called lambs tails due to their looking a lot like a lamb’s tail and they also appear during the lambing season. Traditionally, pollarded hazel shoots were used for lambing pens!

hazel catkins

hazel catkins

hazel catkins

hazel catkins (male and female flowers)

female hazel flowers

female hazel flowers

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