Margaret, one of our trustees, took a look around the park during the spring. These is what she saw:
“During lockdown, we’ve all seen more closely the gradual changing of the seasons with the first tentative snowdrops, the catkins and the pussy willow. The Park has a wealth of wildflowers often in hidden places and It’s been worth exploring to find the hidden clump of cowslips, the violets and bluebells; today I even found orchids.
The burst of early spring blossom on the blackthorn was followed by the gradual greening of the trees as the buds opened to their own timetable. It’s only in spring we observe the many different shades of green as each individual tree makes its own contribution to the colour palette.
Recently the paths were covered with white ‘cotton wool’ as the willow trees shed their seeds. The green changed to white as the hawthorn (May) and apple trees were covered in blossom. Now the trees are full of bird song as the birds produce their young.
On the Mere there are signs of new life, first a family of coots, then the moorhens. Finally our new swan pair hatched their brood of 8 cygnets (now down to 3). We will enjoy watching them grow and gradually changing from ’ugly ducklings’ to adult swans.”