Jane V. Adams is fascinated by wildlife and wild places. She wrote an award-winning online wildlife diary from 2007 to 2015, and since then has been featured in BBC Countryfile Magazine and BBC Wildlife Magazine. Her first book, Nature’s Wonders, is published by National Trust Books.
Spring is such a green and optimistic season, but sometimes our hectic and demanding lives can stop us from enjoying it as much as we should. This year, why not take some time to recharge your batteries, calm your mind and unearth some wild experiences nearby.
1. On a warm spring day, when the thermometer reaches 17 degrees Fahrenheit, keep an eye and an ear out for bee-flies. With their furry round bodies and high-pitched buzz, they might resemble a bumblebee, but try to get a little closer. Their long spindly legs and spear-like tongue give them away. They’re a harmless fly, and, with the agility of a hummingbird, can hover in front of primrose, cowslip and pulmonaria, plunging their tongue deep into the flowers to refuel with nectar and pollen.
There are two distinct species flying at this time of year: the dark-edged and the spotted bee-fly (with the dark-edged being the most common). Males of both species can be quite territorial, chasing away other males, and buzzing excitedly around flower-visiting females. It’s a simple but fascinating wildlife moment not to be missed.
Image credit: Jane V. Adams
2. Look closely at the composite bloom of a dandelion and you’ll see that it’s made up of hundreds of tiny individual flowers (florets). Look even closer and you may spot a tiny pollen beetle rootling around within its petals.
Though the dandelion (and its 200 UK species) were once prized for their culinary and medicinal uses, we've fallen out of love with this plant. Many gardeners see them as weeds, digging them up, and throwing them away. But don’t be so quick to judge. Their flowers are a vital source of early pollen and nectar for insects, and some insects favoured their leaves as a place to lay their eggs.
So, this year, make room in your garden for a dandelion or two and who knows, you could find yourself nibbling on a leaf right next to a woolly bear (garden tiger moth caterpillar). Not something you experience every day.
Image credit: Jane V. Adams
3. Most of us have heard of the dawn chorus, but have you truly experienced this natural wonder? If not, it’s well worth the effort of getting up early. Choose a woodland, your garden, or even an inner-city park, but try to arrive roughly an hour before dawn, in April or May.
For the birds, their exuberant chorus is all about power and sex, holding onto territory and attracting a mate. Don’t expect a choir of voices, harmony isn’t their primary concern. These birds are singing for their future. For their life.
If you don’t recognise the voices you hear, don’t worry. It’s the experience of being surrounded by bird song that makes the dawn chorus so special. Lean into the sound, close your eyes, and enjoy the moment. All too soon, as the light levels rise, the birds will stop singing and go in search of food.
Image credit: Jane V. Adams
4. Seeing a slow worm is always a special experience, as they live most of their lives hidden away, rarely being seen. Yet, they aren’t a rare reptile. In early spring, they are emerging from hibernation, and it’s probably your best chance of seeing one. They need the warmer spring days to heat their cold-blooded bodies, so you could spot one basking under a thin covering of undergrowth. Be warned, though, their burnished bronze or smoky grey coloured scales aren’t easy to see.
Often mistaken for snakes, slow worms are actually harmless, legless lizards, and unlike snakes can blink and have eyelids. They’re also the gardener’s friend, eating tiny insects, snails and slugs. You could say they're the reptile equivalent of a hedgehog.
Image credit: Jane V. Adams
5. There’s something exquisitely perfect about spring blossoms. Yet it’s so fleeting, it’s often gone before we can appreciate it. Blackthorn to wild pear, crab apple to hawthorn, taking in the beauty of a wild blossom tree is well worth the effort, and in Japan they even have a name for it, Hanami, meaning ‘flower viewing’.
Wherever you live, look for the creamy white or pink blooms of a blossom tree and once you’ve found one, linger for a while. Listen to the breeze whispering through the flowers, smell their scent and try to spot bees nectaring from the blooms. Get closer, and take in the complex beauty of a single flower, then stand back for an all-over view. You won’t regret it.
Image credit: Jane V. Adams
Nature’s Wonders by Jane V. Adams is an evocative celebration of Britain’s nature year. It includes 50 magical moments alongside beautiful wildlife photography and facts that are too good to keep to yourself.