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Decorate an Egg Competition
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Wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa)
In early spring, before trees are in full leaf and block out the light, it blooms in sunny woodlands throughout Britain and Ireland. But not just any woodland. If you see an impressive display of anemones carpeting a clearing like a constellation of blinking stars, the chances are you’re in an ancient wood, at least 400 years old. Wood anemones also grow out in the open on banks and verges, or at the edges of fields. their presence in an apparently odd location often points to a vanished wood, long since cleared, as if the land has a memory in leaf and petal form. Countryside historians such as the late Oliver Rackham refer to these flowers as “woodland ghosts”.
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Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)Willow warblers are, above all, woodland birds. They’re particularly fond of birch-covered hillsides, but on spring migration turn up tired and hungry in odd locations. In April, you might hear their glorious, cascading song anywhere from coasts to gardens. Up to 1,000 million of these sprites head to Europe from Africa each spring.
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Early purple orchid (Orchis mascula)This regal wildflower does exactly what it says on the tin, and not only is it one of the first orchids to appear in spring, it’s also among the most abundant members of its famous family. You’re most likely to see it in sunny places in woods, but it also grows beside roads and on grassy hillsides, flowering until June. Its leaves have purplish-brown blotches, as if splashed with paint, though this isn’t unique – the leaves of the common spotted orchid look similar.
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Great crested newt (Triturus cristatus)
With its rough skin and (only in males) ragged crest, the great crested newt is Britain’s most impressive amphibian. In March and April, it returns to its strictly protected breeding sites, favouring bigger ponds than our two other newt species.
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Orange-tip butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines)
The male orange-tip, with his ‘fluoro’ wingtips that appear to have been dipped in paint, and his habit of endlessly patrolling up and down, is pretty hard to miss. That’s the whole point: the coloration warns birds that these butterflies are stuffed with toxic plant oils ingested as caterpillars. The female lacks such striking upper-wings, so is easy to confuse with another member of the family – the small white. In fact, you may have to search her out, as she tends to lurk among vegetation.
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Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
Tiny the 6g goldcrest may be, but come spring it’s one of the birds most likely to attack its own reflection in a window. Pugnacious birds strike the panes of glass repeatedly, in a desperate bid to defend their territory. Now is the height of the nesting season. Among British and Irish birds, the goldcrest produces the smallest nest and eggs – a record it shares with the related but much scarcer firecrest. An incubating female helps to warm her clutch with her legs, after first pumping them with blood – an unusual tactic for a passerine.
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Wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella)
Untidiness suits farmland birds such as the yellowhammer, just coming into breeding plumage. To help the yellowhammer, we need more weedy arable fields, scuffed-up pasture, spilt seeds and unruly wildflower margins, preferably with rewilded, overgrown hedges, at the bottom of which the female will soon be nestbuilding. Close by, her gaudy mate sings his short but sweet song, over and over
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Early bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)This common little bumblebee – the smallest species in the British Isles – does what it says on the tin. It not only emerges early, but also starts nesting early. At first, you see only queens, then only female workers, and finally, from mid-April, you start seeing males, too. All have distinctive orange tails, while the males also have a lemon-yellow ‘cummerbund’ across the abdomen and luxuriant yellow facial hair.
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These owls are being carefully monitored in Trefonen. These clips were taken mid-March. There were three eggs and we expect by now there could be some babies.
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All information from , British wildlife in April | BBC Wildlife Magazine - Discover Wildlife