Unidentified Tree
Rain, hail and snow were forecast for our trip to Thorp Perrow Arboretum and the meteorologists were not wrong! There were, however, plenty of sunny periods in between although the temperature never got to anywhere near seasonal expectations and the visitor centre and cafe became a welcome refuge at different times of the day.
BEES previous visits to the Arboretum have been in Autumn so it was a different scene on this visit with swathes of bluebells, daffodils and wood anemones dotted amongst the trees although some of the colours in the acers were very autumnal and attractive. The early blossom trees added contrast to the colours and proved attractive to the few bees that braved the weather.
Of the birds in the Birds of Prey section, only the snowy owls looked at home although the laughing kookaburras lived up to their name. Hail was falling quite intensely at the designated time for flying but some of the group did manage to see some action a little later.
36 plants were recorded in flower of which few-flowered leek and toothwort were the highlights, the eagle-eyed Lorna spotting the latter which excited the botanists. The bird total for the day was 30 with goldcrest, buzzard, linnet and nuthatch being the pick although it was also good to see a mallard with the first three ducklings of the season. Two lovely rainbow trout were spotted in the lake and an occasional fungus was noted.
Thanks to Sue and Robert for driving and to Vera who co-ordinated the day very efficiently.
See the photos here.
Stuart