Since Spring began springing in March a lot has happened in the countryside. And, for me, the month of May is a particularly pleasing one to see what’s going on. There are lots of hedgerow flowers and the hawthorns are in full bloom. Simply brill!
Saw this brown hare (Lepus europaeus) briefly in open farmland between Brandon and Ingram.
Hares are fairly easy to identify (is it a rabbit or is it a hare?) by their long, black-tipped ears and relatively large size – they grow from 50-70cm long. It has a golden-brown coat and a white tail.
Another sure sign that Spring is springing is the more frequent sightings of deer in the valley.
On one of my cycle rides to Ingram, I saw these roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) on the bank at the bottom of one of the Branton East Side farm’s fields.
Having only just seen my first adder late on in the season (15 April 2023), I came across this one the following day – also at Branton Lakes Nature Reserve.
We’re well into April now and I’ve only just seen my first adder of the season! This isn’t for any peculiar nature phenomenon – such as the snakes emerging much later – but rather that I hadn’t had an opportunity to go looking for them until yesterday.
One week on from seeing my first adder of the 2022 season, I’ve spotted a couple of others. They’re pretty much in the same spot along the south-facing bank close to the entrance to the Branton Lakes Nature Reserve.
Ah…it’s always a sign that Spring is just around the corner – when the adders come back. Seeing your first adder of the season means that Spring is just around the corner. And yesterday (27 Feb 2022), I did indeed see my first – just the one, and here it is:
idiom:
An expression that means you will not worry about a possible future problem but will deal with it if it happens (Cambridge Dictionary, 2021)
Question: How does a hare cross a river?
Answer: Why, using the footbridge, of course!
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
Since seeing my first three adders of the season on 25 February 2021, the relatively sunny weather has brought more adders into view at Branton Lakes Nature Reserve. They typically hibernate between about October – March, emerging in the late Winter/early Spring, depending on weather conditions.
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