What to see in April & May

by Dave Emley 

Surely the best time of the year! Everything is fresh, lots of plants starting to appear, migrant birds arriving and plenty of insects emerging. Here are a few of the many things to look out for in your gardens, or when out for a walk in April and May.

Good Friday Grass

If you are a gardener, then this aptly-named plant will be all too familiar to you! It is a common plant in lawns, but it is not a grass, rather a woodrush or Luzula. Its proper name is Field Woodrush Luzula campestris and, like all woodrushes, it has lots of silky hairs.

Dark-edged Bee-fly

Do look for this in your garden; it is an amazing insect as it hovers at the flowers. Its long proboscis enabling it to reach nectar deep down. It tends to like Primrose, Lesser Celandine, Blackthorn, Dandelion and, in gardens, Aubretia. A few years back, it was decidedly rare in Staffordshire, but with global warming, it has spread into the county from the south and is now found all over.

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaffs arrive from abroad in March and are one of the first migrant species to be seen. Its typical onomatopoeic song "chiff chaff chiff chaff" gives it its name. It is one of the leaf warblers and feeds on insects, so you often see it fly-catching high up in the trees. It is quite common around the eastern side of the estate - I have counted at least 7 singing. Occasionally, it visits gardens and we have seen it going through the rose bushes, looking for aphids.

Blackcap

Like the Chiffchaff, this is one of our earliest migrant visitors. It has a lovely melodic song. It belongs to a group of warblers called 'scrub warblers' and that gives a hint as to its preferred habitat - thick scrub. There are several pairs on the estate. The male has a black cap, while the female has a brown cap. Interestingly, juvenile males also have a brown cap, but this turns black by abrasion later in the year.

Common Whitethroat

A species to look out for at the end of April/May. It is a Western African migrant and, like Blackcap, a member of the scrub warblers. It used to be one of our commonest warblers; indeed, Robert Browning even mentions it in his "Home thoughts from Abroad". However, in 1968 the population crashed by over 70%, thought to be due to a drought in the Sahel region of Africa (the region of transition in Africa, between the Sahara to the north, and the Sudanian savanna to the south) which they have to cross. Numbers are only now building up, but are nowhere near what they used to be. Listen out for its scratchy song in the scrub of the Grassy Patch.

Once the weather warms up a bit, then we can start to look for butterflies. Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells have been around since March, and are detailed in the Early Spring collection (in our archived photo collections).

Comma

A species that overwinters as an adult and emerges from hibernation early in spring, so that it can mate and lay eggs. The scalloped wings are unique, otherwise it could be mistaken for a Small Tortoiseshell.

Brimstone

Another butterfly that overwinters as an adult. Typically, it is around from end of February on mild days. Its unique colouring makes it easy to pick out, as it flies amongst the leafless branches. Its food-plant, is Common Buckthorn and Alder Buckthorn, neither of which are common in our area, so you have to be lucky to see a Brimstone - but they do occur. However, those plants are common in limestone areas, so Dovedale and Manifold Valley are good places to see them.

Orange-tip

This distinctive species overwinters as a chrysalis. They start to emerge in mid-April - the archetypal 'spring butterfly', as it disappears after May. Its food-plant is Hedge Garlic or Lady's Smock. so look for it in Blackies Lane. You will also get it in your garden.

Speckled Wood

The second of our typical spring butterflies but, unlike the Orange-tip, it has a second brood in the autumn. The speckled colouring is designed to camouflage it in the dappled sunlight of woods and hedgerows, which are its habitat. The males will sit on a perch waiting for a passing female and will defend their sunspot from other males. The pattern of yellowish spots differs between spring and autumn broods. It also occurs in gardens.

Holly Blue

This is the blue butterfly that you are most likely to see in your garden, and the only one about in the spring/early summer. It has two broods in the year and, unlike all other butterflies, the caterpillars of each brood feed on different plants. The spring brood feed on Holly, while the autumn brood feed on Ivy.

Common Dog-violet

Always a delight to see, this is a typical spring plant. There are not many of them here, but they do prefer sunny hedge banks.

Hedge Garlic

One of the earliest of our spring flowers. As its name suggests, the leaves do have a garlic/onion smell if rubbed. It is one of the foodplants of the Orange-tip butterfly. There's lots of it in Blackies Lane.

Primrose

Surely one of our best-loved Spring flowers. They are not uncommon around the Grassy Patch and Blackies Lane.

Cow Parsley

Also known as Queen Anne's Lace, this is a typical spring member of the carrot family - an umbellifer, so called for the umbrella-like cap of white flowers. It gives a superb display along hedgerows and Blackies Lane is a good place to see it. The flowers are attractive to hoverflies and bees too.

Greater Stitchwort

A distinctive species with elongate leaves and divided petals. It grows in hedgerows and can be found in Blackies Lane.

Wild Garlic or Ramsons

This is a species of damp habitats, stream sides for instance. You can find it along the edge of the stream by Blackies Lane.

Herb Robert

This is a common plant that comes out in the spring, and can be in flower right through to early winter! It is a member of the Geranium family.

Red Campion

A typical spring flower that comes out with the Cow Parsley and Great Stitchwort. It can remain in flower right through the summer and is attractive to insects. Look in Blackies Lane.

Meadow Foxtail

As gardeners, you know that the grass starts to grow in earnest at this time of the year! One of the first to flower is Meadow Foxtail. Its name comes from the silky smooth flowerheads, reminiscent of a fox's tail. It is a common species in meadows such as those either side of Blackies Lane.

Lady's Smock

This delightful spring flower can be found in damp grassland, e.g. around the Pond off Blackies Lane. It is one of the food-plants of the Orange-tip butterfly.

Bulbous Buttercup

We have 3 common species of buttercup around Aston Lodge; 'Meadow', 'Creeping', and this one, 'Bulbous'. It is the first of the three to flower, and is distinguished by its reflexed or turned down sepals. Look for it along the central reservation of Aston Lodge Parkway, as you enter the estate, and in the meadows, either side of Blackies Lane. Check the ones in your lawn too!

Bush Vetch

This is one of the first members of the pea flowers to flower. Its purplish cluster of flowers is distinctive. It can be found along Blackies Lane and on the Grassy Patch.

Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage

This is a common plant alongside streams and in damp areas, generally where it grows in large mats. It can be found by the stream off Blackies Lane.

St Mark's Fly

Saint Mark's Day, or the Feast of Saint Mark, commemorates Mark the Evangelist, and takes place on 25^th April. It is around this time, that this fly is on the wing, often in large numbers and noticeable, as it flies with its legs dangling down. It is quite harmless.

Dandelion

And finally... the humble Dandelion. Yes, it can be a pest and its seeds blow everywhere, but at this time of year it's one of the most important sources of nectar for our bees and many other insects. The name comes from "dent de lion" or "lion's teeth", referring to the jagged leaves. Did you know that there are around 230 different dandelions? They vary in leaf shape, flowers and seeds. What's more, the leaves of the same species can differ if they grow in shade, or are downtrodden. They are the realm of the specialist, of which I am not one. I just like them!