Monday, March 01, 2021

Into March


Although the title of this post is 'Into March' I'm going to write about the end of February, specifically the last two days.  The weather was beautiful, almost perfect for the time of year.  It certainly made us both feel more cheerful, more optimistic about the next few weeks without looking too far ahead.  It was just good to be able to get out into a fairly dry garden and take stock of what needs to be done.

The first thing I spotted was just one flower from the Winter Aconite that I thought had been lost.  It was  struggling to show it's bright yellow face under the Snowdrops.  I'm glad it is still there.

The heather was alive with the sound of bees, mostly small ones but also a couple of bumble bees too. Standing on the steps with heather on either side it was almost as loud as the buzzing in the air on a warm Summer's afternoon.

We saw both small and large Tortoishell butterflies, there must have been five or six of them flitting and fluttering as they landed and fed on the heather.

On Saurday there was one lone frog in the pond but it has now disappeared.  I hope the heron that visited one misty morning last week didn't come back  and take it.  I was hoping it might be joined by a few friends over the next week or two.
 
It's a long time since we've seen scenes like those above in the pond.
 

The squirrels are looking plump and well fed this one was on the fence between us and next door.
 
Inside felt cheerful too as the sun lit up the Spring flowers on the kitchen table.

Daffodils on top of the fossil cabinet in the conservatory window were also bright and cheerful in the sunshine.
 
Our overnight wildlife camera has shown us that we have a pair of foxes and it looks as if cubs may be imminent.  Also the badgers are back!  The pale one is the female, perhaps there will be some badger cubs too. 
 

 Their bustling 'get out of my way' attitude always makes me smile.
 
 
 

26 comments:

  1. Glad to see you relaxing into Spring. Life in the slow lane is recommended.

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    1. It has been life in the slow lane the past few weeks, it's good to feel Spring around the corner:)

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  2. The weekend was gorgeous. It is amazing how just a little lift in temperature, warmer weather and longer days can enhance our mood. How wonderful to see butterflies already! I hope that you see the frog again Rosie. Have a lovely week. :)

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    1. It was lovely wasn't it? Wonderful how just a bit of sunshine makes everything seem a lot better. I was surprised to see so many butterflies this early, usually it's just an odd one or two. I wish the frogs would come back to the pond but I suspect there are too many local cats for them to feel safe:)

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  3. You have sooooo much Spring!!!!!

    We are still snow covered. -smile-

    But, all in good time...

    Gentle hugs

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    1. Oh, I hope your snow disappears and that Spring will follow behind very soon:)

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  4. Wow it's a hive of Spring activity at your house! Fancy there being so many butterflies already, it doesn't seem warm enough here at the moment. I love your video with the bossy badgers, fingers crossed for a few cubs soon. 🙂

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    1. It was just as if everything had been switched on for a couple of days, it's back to grey and muisty now but it was great to feel the sun for a while and to see all the wildlife too. Bossy - that's the word I was seeking it's spot one:)

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  5. Lovely to see your footage of the badgers and your flowers in vases look so cheerful. It was so lovely last week and very Spring-like. It must have been wonderful to see so many butterflies this early in the year and hear the bees again :) No sign of frogs yet in our pond. I am so pleased an aconite survived - I can never seem to keep them here!

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    1. The badgers are more interesting than the foxes at the moment, I think fox cubs are born in March so our one foxy visitor will be taking food back to the den for the female. I was thrilled to spot the Aconite perhaps it will spread and come back again next year:)

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  6. that shot of the squirrel is my favourite.

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    1. I love squirrels, greys are great but I love the reds:)

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  7. It’s been the same here in South Devon over the last few days. Spring is springing and the birds are singing joyfully.
    Wonderful footage of your visitors! 😄

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    1. The badgers are great fun to watch they are quite bossy with each other. Spring in South Devon sounds wonderful to me:)

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  8. What a cheering post. Lovely to see all the signs of spring. Amazing how the butterflies survive through the cold weather. B x

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    1. I hope the butterflies will survive any more cold spells that we are likely to have, I didn't expect to see so many, Commas are usually the first ones spotted:)

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  9. The video was amazing, what a joy. The tulips and daffodils also a delight, along with all the signs of Spring. A lovely post.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the badgers, they always make me smile. It was good to be able to get out and buy some Spring flowers for the house as they are so cheerful:)

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  10. How lovely to see such a lot of activity, day and night, in your garden! You must be happy to see the Winter Aconite. The signs of Springtime are delightful.

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    1. We've had so much pleasure from the trail cam or fox cam as we call it although there are more badgers about at the moment. It is so cheering to see the signs of Spring and have a little sunshine:)

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  11. How lovely to see the Butterflies, I've yet to see one though we had the sun at the weekend too. Fingers crossed for cubs on the trail cam before long!

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    1. It was good to see the butterflies and bees. The warmth of the weekend seems far away now and it is grey and misty here today. I love it when we have the first visits from the fox cubs being kept in order by their parents:)

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  12. It's all going on in your garden. Fantastic news about the fox and badger families. I saw some tortoishells out too over the weekend. X

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    1. I hope we see some fox cubs visit the garden again this year. Grey and misty here today:)

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  13. What a lovely post, and how great to have badgers!

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    1. Thank you Caroline, it is wonderful to have badgers as well as foxes even though they do like to dig up vegetables in the summer:)

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