Connecting with nature in springtime
Connecting with nature in springtime
There is something magical about Devon in the springtime which I believe is largely due to our network of high-banked Devon hedges, relatively small fields, rolling hills and deep wooded, wet valleys. Although not strictly limited by the eastern and western boundaries of the county, these features are sufficient to distinguish the countryside from other areas that use different ways of dividing the land.
Spring began early this year following a mild but wet winter and the early yellow of celandine, primrose and hazel is already fading, to be replaced by the burst of bright green foliage of deciduous woody perennials, especially the tree species that top the hedgebanks. This still comes as a welcome surprise even knowing that the trees spend the autumn preparing for spring with their new leaves packed tightly inside protective buds, with the shape of the bud being determined by the pattern of the leaves. Even nascent catkins such as hazel are visible throughout the winter ready to burst to full length in early spring.
At the same time birds start their preparations for the annual reproductive cycle, often the first are robins and, if one is lucky, song thrushes can be heard delivering their lustful singing from some nearby vantage point. After a winter where mere survival is the motivation, the twin triggers of day length and ambient temperature initiate the whole process - and even put a spring in our steps! The next phase is heralded with the pink of campions and white of stitchwort, closely followed by the haze of bluebells that seem to have spread out of their traditional woodland habitats into the hedgerows running up from the Tavy valley. Above our heads, blackthorn, followed by hawthorn put on a display of white blossom surely rivalling many flowering shrubs in our gardens.
By the time May arrives our migrant birds have also returned. Many of them are dependent upon insect life for sustenance with aphids high on their list of delicacies. Of these, my own seasonal landmark is a warbler, whose repetitive two-note 'chiff-chaff' call, any time from 12th March to the end of the month, greets me as I open a window or step out into the garden in the morning. Birds use our tall Devon hedgerows not just for singing, feeding and nesting but also for security. They may venture out into a field to feed, or visit our bird tables but soon return to cover at the first sign of danger, and small flocks will often move along the hedge as they search for food. This pattern is mirrored below by the small mammals that inhabit the undergrowth and I have watched voles using branches lying horizontally at the base as a sort of hedgerow motorway! No wonder high speed predators such as sparrowhawks haunt the hedgerows. Where hedgerows are contiguous with the trees alongside watercourses even the more aquatic birds like kingfishers are helped to explore further afield.
The significance of trees to our own mental well-being has received some well-deserved publicity recently. I am sure that our hedgerows, especially in springtime may deliver the same benefit to our health. After all this is where we choose to take a relaxing walk along quiet lanes especially if woodland terrain is too steep and boggy underfoot, and moorland too windswept for all but the hardy. Many fine old trees can also be found here, some even dating from the time that the fields were first delineated several centuries ago, retained possibly as a form of boundary marker. It therefore saddens me when I see a mature hedge removed for no obvious benefit, with the debris often burned on site! This country has a relatively good record of creating reserves for keynote species, such as migrating waterfowl and rare plants, as well as areas of landscape value, but it is in danger of neglecting the forgotten spaces in between. Spring does indeed reconnect us to the natural world, just as the natural corridors of hedgerows and verges connect our wildlife populations with each other.
Pete Mayston