SPECIES TO LOOK OUT FOR
Lesser celandine
One of the first heralds of spring, the lesser celandine has glossy, star-shaped yellow flowers that seemingly float atop a low bed of heart-shaped dark green leaves. Look for it along woodland rides from February onwards, when it’s an important nectar source for pollinators emerging from hibernation. The petals only tend to unfurl in direct sunlight, and seem to track the sun across the sky like miniature satellite dishes.
Sweet violet
Varying in colour, with blue, pink, yellow and even white forms, sweet violet is our only fragrant member of the Viola genus. It’s also the earliest of all violets to flower and can be found sprouting in discreet tufts along woodland rides and hedge banks from February until May.
Reeves’s muntjac
First introduced into the grounds of Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire in the 19th century, this alien species didn’t take long to stage its escape, and ultimately spread through most English counties south of Yorkshire. The muntjac’s tiny size and (in a good view) striped facial markings mean it is easily recognised. Look out for it quietly slipping across woodland rides.
Long-tailed tit
Diminutive and distinctive in equal measure, the long-tailed tit has pied plumage, with gorgeous rosy and dusky tones. Always gregarious outside the breeding season, it forms small flocks in winter, which may be observed working along rides and woodland edge. These are invariably made up of extended family members.
Brimstone butterfly
There’s no mistaking this bright harbinger of spring, which is increasingly seen on warm, sunny days as early as February. Males are sulphur yellow, females slightly paler. Having overwintered as adults, the males are the first to emerge from hibernation as they patrol woodland rides, hunting down both nectar and any females ready to mate.