Spring has Sprung
Spring is always an interesting season – you wait for what seems like forever for it to arrive, and when it does there’s always something unexpected and surprising.
Spring on Hampstead Heath is announced with the welcome return of loud birdsong, carpets of lesser celandine (Ficaria verna), marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), wood anemone (Anemonoides nemorosa), gorse and wild garlic (Allium ursinum) accompanied by clouds of blooming blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), hawthorn (Prunus spinosa) and willow (Salix). All of which are a feast for the senses and provide an invaluable source of nectar for early emerging bees and butterflies. Our wildflower meadows will soon be coming in flower, and you can find out more and support our work on these crucial habitats here.
Daffodils in front of Kenwood House
The true “harbinger of spring” is the male brimstone butterfly (Genetrix rhamni), which can often be seen as early as February on milder days. Having overwintered as adults in dense hedges and ivy, the bright flashes of sulphur-yellow brimstone patrolling woodland edges and hedgerows in search of a mate is unmistakeable.
Queen bumblebees (Bombus) will also begin to emerge from their underground chambers. Having already mated before hibernation, the hungry bees will gorge on the nectar-rich early blossom of plants and trees, such as willow, crab apple and hawthorn, before finding a suitable nest site to begin their new colony.
Wood anemone at Kenwood
Marsh marigolds in the bird santuary
Spring also heralds the start of the busy wildlife monitoring season on Hampstead Heath. Each year, our staff and volunteers survey some of the Heath’s key species, which includes our resident population of grass snakes and butterflies.
A brimstone buttefly
Heath Hands getting some bee endorsment
Nature is full of surprises, particularly in spring. Even though we know it’s coming, the speed at which new life springs into action is an endless source of wonder. If you’d like to learn more about the flora and fauna of Hampstead Heath at this time of year, why not join us this Saturday 12th April on our Signs of Spring walk? Sign up here.
