A frosty, cold and wet start to the new year as should be expected. Very little done in the garden and as can be seen by the blogs single entry we spent more time looking back at 2022 than at the current goings on.
We did as usual record the first new flower of the year. This time the usual suspects on the ground decided, sensibly, to delay flowering due to the harsh frosts. But the Hazel wasn’t deterred and we recorded the flowering below on 22nd January.
We have added at least one species to the species list this month, but again this was looking back on last year and a Single-dotted Wave moth which we had initially mistaken for a lime speck moth on the 17th July 2022.
Lots of oxeye daisies, mallow and wild carrot have germinated but not much else that is obvious at this stage. The sedges are back, still not entirely sure of the species but a further sign that the small housing development has changed the ground conditions and things are now a little wetter. No sign of any yellow rattle, which we feel will be key due to the coarser grasses that dominate the garden.
Not much else to report, mainly due to our avoiding walking in the garden whilst the soils are so wet.
DC: 05/02/2023
Wildlife Garden 