Snowdrops are springing forth!
THE first sign of spring and the promise of a mild winter is a clump of snowdrops in the woodland or your local churchyard.
The story is that the snowdrop breaks winter’s spell and brings back the spring, it is not uncommon to see them popping out of the snow in a wood.
But, snowdrops in January? That is just plainly ridiculous and, as I write this column, it is hail stoning outside.
When one of our members told me that he had seen the first snowdrops in a hedgerow in Manchester, I immediately rushed outside to see if the bulbs I planted in October had started to show... with no joy.
I sometimes see an odd snowdrop popping up out of the undergrowth but this year I have planted proper clumps.
Actually most early plants stand little chance of seeing the sunlight in my garden as I tend to lay lots of plants on the soil to deter cats and provide winter homes for insects.
If you don’t know what a snowdrop looks like, it has a nodding white flower on top of a striking, single green stem.
They normally have a clump of their leaves at the base of the stem in the middle of bare soil, waiting to be joined by other plants.
The snowdrop was not recorded in the wild in the UK before the 18th Century so it is probably not native.
It is well-known in damp woods and meadows on the continent but appears to have been an escapee here.
However, because of its unassuming nature and the fact that it is around before other native plants, we are not as horrified by this species in comparison to the annoyance that invasive incomers like Himalayan balsam causes.
So what is the point of these early plants?
Well they are great food sources for flies waking early in the year and the flies will help to pollinate the snowdrops.
We do get reports of early bees in February and March.
In some parts of the country you could be forgiven for mistaking some snowdrop valleys for snow. Whole hillsides are white with these precious flowers.
Later in spring, this sight is replaced by carpets of bluebells and wonderfully smelly gardens of wild garlic.
That is the problem with snowdrops, they really do make you yearn for the warmer weather, even though I personally, do love the winter and all its snowing and blowing.
The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is dedicated to the protection and promotion of the wildlife in Lancashire, seven boroughs of Greater Manchester and four of Merseyside, all lying north of the River Mersey. It manages around 40 nature reserves and 20 Local Nature Reserves covering acres of woodland, wetland, upland and meadow. The Trust has 29,000 members, and over 1,200 volunteers. »●To become a member of the Trust go to the website at www. lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324129. For more information about Cheshire Wildlife Trust call 01948 820728 or go to cheshirewildlifetrust. org.uk.