Crab Apple

Having heard that the nightingales were back at Castor Hanglands, I went for an afternoon walk round the site. I was quite shocked at how late everything was - the marsh orchids around the pond should start flowering in a couple of weeks, but they were tiny and look as though they won't be out for a month. After a winter of fairly heavy grazing, the grassland was very short, with only a few dandelions and daisies in bloom. The woodland was better, with stands of Wood Spurge among Bluebells and Greater Stitchwort, and several glorious Crab-apple trees that may or may not be truly native. 

Highlight of the afternoon was hearing the glorious song of a Nightingale only a few metres from me, though completely hidden in a Blackthorn thicket. This is one of the sites that we'll be visiting on a Fen Edge holiday Chris and I are leading in mid-May, so it's good to know that we're almost certain to hear them then!