Look out for wild creatures and plants in and around the garden this spring
Cuckoo spit
'The froth is actually produced in a similar way to cappuccino coffee, in that air is forced into a special liquid, except that the froghopper secretes the liquid from its bottom!'
The presence of immature froghopper insects is only betrayed by the bubbles they produce to conceal and protect themselves. The insects are appropriately named, as they leap, frog-like, when disturbed and also look the part with large, protruding eyes. The name 'cuckoo-spit' is less accurate however – it alludes to the belief that it appears at the same time as the cuckoo itself. The froth is actually produced in a similar way to cappuccino coffee, in that air is forced into a special liquid, except that the froghopper secretes the liquid from its bottom!
English bluebells
'Be sure to grow the native English species, not the alien Spanish bluebell.'
There is no more splendid evocation of spring than a carpet of bluebells in an English woodland. Bluebells should find a home in your garden too – and don't worry about stories of them spreading to become uncontrollable. I have never found this a problem although do be sure to grow the native English species, not the alien Spanish bluebell which so easily hybridises with it, and has thereby been responsible for one of the best-known examples of genetic pollution.
Hedge parsley
'Their umbels are among the loveliest of roadside plants – and a great many find their way into our gardens too'
No family of British plants is so obvious and distinctive at this time of the year yet so under-appreciated as the Apiaceae or, as they used to be called, the Umbelliferae. You will perhaps know them better as the hedge parsley family. Their typically white, umbrella-shaped flower heads (or umbels) are among the loveliest of roadside plants – and a great many, like carrots, parsnips and parsley, find their way into our gardens too.
Long-tailed tit
'Long-tailed tits are familiar birds in woodland, hedgerows and gardens throughout most of Britain.'
The long-tailed tit builds the most beautiful nest of any British bird; a spherical mass of feathers, moss, fur and other soft material with a tiny entrance hole, all bound together with cobweb and covered in lichen. They aren't closely related to the other tits but are familiar birds in woodland, hedgerows and gardens throughout most of Britain. They are almost invariably seen in small flocks and, although in the past they haven't been common bird-table visitors, this seems to be changing, perhaps part of the response to milder winters that has led to an overall increase in their numbers.
Mayflies
'The scientific name for mayflies is Ephemeroptera from the Greek meaning 'living for only a day'.
One of several creatures that takes its name from this glorious month is the mayfly, much loved by trout and imitated by the anglers who try to catch them. The scientific name for mayflies is Ephemeroptera from the Greek meaning 'living for only a day'. This is more or less true of the adults, although the aquatic larvae may already have existed unseen for a year or more. Although most live in clear, running water, a few species occur in fairly still water and, if you are lucky, might appear in your wildlife pond.
Orange tip: early butterfly
'The orange tip's favoured food plant is hedge mustard, or Jack by the hedge, and a small patch of this pretty white-flowered brassica should be in every wildlife garden.'
Although the mild winter meant that people were reporting red admirals and peacocks in January, it's true that in most years, one of the earliest British butterflies to appear is the orange tip.
It is the striking orange wing tips of the male that make it so special, and the reason it stands out from the overall white of most of its relatives. Its favoured food plant is hedge mustard, or Jack by the hedge, and a small patch of this pretty white-flowered brassica should be in every wildlife garden.
About the author
Professor Stefan Buczacki writes about wildlife every month in
Gardens Monthly magazine. He gained a first-class honours degree in botany at Southampton University, obtained a D.Phil. in forest science at Oxford and embarked on a career in research. In 1984 he began writing and broadcasting and has achieved numerous awards and distinctions as a naturalist. He is passionate about the British countryside and its fauna, and this is no more apparent than in his 50th book
Fauna Britannica, the result of four years' research. The book includes a foreward by HRH the Prince of Wales and is published by
Hamlyn.
Images supplied by David Chapman Wildlife Photography.
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