First Week Hunt 2009 - March 3rd Cheshire and North Wales

The weather forecast at first predicted rain in Wales and Cheshire then a little later heavy rain in Wales and Cheshire. This is usually hopeless not because of the wet but because light levels, which are low anyway at this time of year, get too low to take decent photos. Venturing out into south Cheshire was made even more difficult because roads were blocked for repair and eventually even the site for Gagea lutea (Yellow Star of Bethlehem above left photo) had been damaged. Most Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrops - above middle photo) seemed to be over but at this site there were still some in their prime. Later near Ruthin some Alnus glutinosa (Alder - above right photo) catkins were in full flower near the car parking space.

At this site the Helleborus foetidus (Stinking Hellebore above left photo) can usually be relied upon to be in flower as it starts in December or January and in mild winters can be nearly over by the beginning of the First Week Hunt. One plant with plenty of flowers at all stages of development was the Corylus avellana (Hazel - middle and right photos). When you see the long yellow catkins it's quite challenge to find them still enough to photograph and even more of a challenge to find the tiny red female flowers which will eventually become Hazel Nuts.

To my great surprise because I have in the past found it in flower in Autumn, the Mercurialis perennis (Dog's Mercury - above left photo) which is abundant in these woods, was scarcely showing and although there were buds this was one of the few with proper flowers showing their yellow anthers. Taxus baccata (Yew - middle photo above) was mostly in flower but you have to look carefully at this one because the tight buds, look at first glance like the open flowers. There are small patches of wild Narcissus pseudonarcissus (Wild Daffodil) in these woods and they have the typical two colours and are much shorter than the cultivated ones which are like weeds at the sides of our roads these days. Other plants found today nearly in flower but not quite included: Potentilla sterilis (Barren Strawberry), Adoxa moschatellina (Moschatel) and Pulomnaria officinalis (Lungwort).