Southwell Trail (March/April 2022) - Part 2

Following on from my last post is a further selection of photographs from the Southwell Trail capturing the transition from winter to spring.

This time I concentrate mainly on the details rather than land or treescapes including early wildflowers, the first new leaves, blossoms, and some of the farming activities in the local fields.

Celandine are often the first wildflowers to bloom on the trail, seen below with some violets. I also noted a fine patch of honesty (Lunaria annua):

There is always plenty of blackthorn and damson on the trail in early spring along with the uplifting cherry blossoms:

The birch trees are one of the first to develop their leaves in addition to the mass of catkins:

Also noticeable are the flowering field maples:

Early spring is a good time for following the farming activities. Some of the fields are treated with lime before the ploughs get to work. The deep ruts create a visual spectacle that never fails to impress:

April on the Southwell Trail - Part 2

The fine weather in April dazzled the blossom along the trail with the clear blue skies providing a perfect backdrop for the snowy white blooms.

Most abundant were the blackthorn flowers, although some might be the thornless damson, it is hard to tell from photographer alone. Others include cherry blossom and a wild pear which I will attempt to separate below, however, my aim wasn’t to make accurate identifications, it was simply to enjoy the early spring spectacle.

Blackthorn:

Cherry blossom:

Wild Pear blossom:

 

March on the Southwell Trail - Part 2

After months of stark winter trees it was real pleasure to see the first blossoms of the new season. Most of the early flowers are Blackthorn, I believe, although some of the trees/bushes may be Damson - it is hard to tell from a distance. Up close, of course, Blackthorn have thorny spikes whereas Damson does not and that is generally the way I make a distinction until the fruits start to show. Either way, I was happy to take advantage of the snowy white displays in a series of photographs taken in the week of March:

Spring on the Southwell Trail - Part 8 (April 2018)

At this time of year I tend to include all white/pink flowers on trees into the broad category of blossom. This avoids the need to distinguish between the various types of tree and reduces the possibility of making identification errors.

This year I decided to be more precise and had a go at putting names to the different types of flowers. Initially this was not easy as I tended to treat each tree in isolation which caused some confusion. Eventually, I started to recognise the difference and similarities identifying several types of flowers*:

Blackthorn Blossom

There are many blackthorn trees along the trail although some do not appear to have the characteristic thorns. This made me wonder whether there were Damson (wild plum) trees mixed in with the blackthorn. I am not totally sure but I am happy that the following photographs are blackthorn flowers:

Cherry Blossom

There are several varieties of cherry tree including: wild cherry; sour cherry; bird cherry; and plum cherry. The flowers look very similar but I am reasonably certain that the trees on the Southwell Trail are wild cherries particularly now I have seen the early stages of the fruit forming:

This group of flowers looked slightly different and might be cherry plum blossom:

Pear Blossom

The following flowers are wild pear. The leaves are different shape to the cherry tree leaves:

Apple Blossom

I am fairly sure these flowers are apple blossom, possibly crab apple:

*As always I try to be as accurate as possible with my identifications but mistakes are possible. I am happy to receive any corrections via the comments section.