Outdoorsy Shite Top Trumps: March

[Slubberdegullion]

Flora or Fauna.

Extra points for a photo.

Handicap will apply to those in Forrin. Monthly win will not automatically go to, for example, a Cougar spot. The Cougar will need to be doing something awesome, like fighting a bear or doing sudoku.

Wow. Now see I'm impressed by hares. What sort of area are you in, beaver?

Very agricultural big, big, flat fields. You can see for miles round here. The crops are very short at the minute so not high enough for the hares to hide well. They all appeared as if by appt on 1st March.

It probably helps (or doesn't) that I have a sight hound who scans the fields and then goes for them, so flushes them out. I'm having to keep her on the lead now.

Oh envy! Is there a time of day that you normally see them? I'm not too far from fields. I am quite tempted to start staking them out at the appropriate time to see if I can spot some.

How lovely. I only see hares about twice a year, either in an open field or (more often) in the woods. A bonus of snowy weather is that I am much more likely to see the hares when they hare across a field, because of the contrast.

They are so stunning, so lovely.

My dog will chase hares, but they outstrip him easily.

I walk the dog between 9am and 10am and there are plenty about then.

I've seen a pheasant today. Sadly it was dead and being ripped to bits by a crow.

I saw a pair of buzzards too.

OK, my entry. Today I saw skylarks all over the place twittering their hearts out, three dead frogs and a weasel.

Todays special hereabouts - a pair of yellow wagtails.

On the flora side - butterburr errupting pinkly out of the riverbank. Catkins and pussywillow of course. The fresh green of new wild garlic.

And finally the true harbinger of spring - the return of the Ice Cream Van Man

No butterburr or wild garlic where I was. Just lots of celandines and winter aconite, snowdrops nearly over and daffs beginning.
Can't wait for the wild garlic. It makes the best garlic bread.

kestrel on garden wall this morning

(empty can of)

It makes the best garlic bread

Does it? I was rubbing a leaf today for my DDs friend to sniff as she didn't know what it was, and I told her it was edible - but I've never actually eaten it. Is it ok to forage for it? Its just occurred to me that I'd happily gather blackberries and people who know what they're doing (we hope) go mushrooming, butOTOH I wouldn't dream of picking wildflowers - are there any laws governing what you can and can't take from the wild?

No spots today. Also interested re wild garlic.

I'm sure that digging up the bulb would be bad/illegal, but just harvesting a leaf from each of a few bulbs would presumably be fine. I remember ds2 a couple of years ago sticking a leaf of wild garlic to his forehead and insisting that it was curing his headache. That was during his Ray Mears phase.

You're not allowed to uproot it, but you wouldn't want to anyway because you generally use the leaves (though the flowers are edible too) and I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to take anything from a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

I chop up the leaves and mix them with butter and put them on the dough before baking it. It's also nice in pasta sauce, or in mashed potato.

Code of conduct and law on picking wild plants

Thanks Tunip.

those lists of protected plants - aren't some of the names fabulous?

There is masses of wild garlic near me. I was planning on digging ou a half remembered recipe for potato and wild garlic soul but frankly am going to forget that in favour of garlic bread. Which sounds delicious.

Soup. Not soul.

Northey!!!! I didn't know you hung out in these parts.

Ahem. Basking sharks Three of the buggers.

Don't you happen to live in a national park? You know we're handicapping lostinwales for that very thing? Unless you saw them shopping in Exeter or something.

I think I saw the back-end of a badger disappearing into a badger-hole yesterday, but it might have been an over-large rabbit trespassing.

I know that's a feeble spot, but I've lost heart a bit in the face of otters and basking sharks.

Never mind, aibuqatada. You're considerably further on than me an my everlasting lambs and cows.

Everlasting lambs are splendid.

Actually the very best thing about spring for me isn't the individual bits of wildlife that pop up but the sudden total change in everything. The light, the, the soundscape, the feel of the air. It soaks in like warm oil on dry wood. It is one of those things where not believing in God leaves you casting around for something secular that can convey the idea of a miracle and a blessing.

Sorry. Wanky. Got carried away cos it's so luverly outside this morning. We had 19 degrees yesterday. In the north east!

Lambs aren't everlasting - they turn into lamb chops staid sheep all too quickly. The transitory nature of lambhood is part of the seasonal joy.