Shropshire Wildlife Trust

The ‘Do One Thing’ for this term was to ‘Make a Garden Grow’.

The school was sent an information pack by BBC Breathing Places Schools which contained some free seeds.

These seeds were Sunflower, Pot Marigold, Corn Poppy, Cornflower and Borage.

The children decided to create a wild flower bed and so got digging - again! The ground was prepared and the seeds sown but only inbetween discovering ants eggs, tasting wild garlic and finding fungus!

Hedgerows make excellent habitats for wildlife, animals nest in them , others feed from them and some use them to navigate.

Although it is a little late in the season to be planting a hedgerow the children in the Eco club were committed to providing the shrubs the necessary care such as regular watering.

Hawthorn, hazel and field maple were among the species planted and watered in. This involved digging a trench, finding the root collar and firming the saplings in.

Of course we discovered lots of worms and even a pill millipede whilst we were digging!

April is the month to stop any large scale changes to your wildlife area, such as pond creation or clearance; hold off any tree planting until Autumn, and certainly delay any removal of trees for a while, as Spring really gets underway. Take the class out and look for the first dates of Hawthorn blossom (it’s beautiful and smells very sweet). Traditionally called “May” (due to it’s flowering time), it gives rise to the traditional saying of “Cast not a clout ’til May is out”. It doesn’t mean “don’t hit anyone until June!” as someone once told me; rather “don’t take off any of your winter clothes until the May blossom appears”.

Hawthorn blossom usually heralds the onset of summer, the end of frosts and cold winds. Unfortunately, in these days of changeable climate, May blossom is appearing earlier and earlier- click here to see this year’s records on the nature’s calender website. The first May blossom spotted was on the 21st March! Are we going to have to change the name of this attractive flower?

Towards the end of April, look out for the first dragonflies of the year. The Common Blue and Large Red Damselflies are the first to appear, followed swiftly by larger species such as the Broad-Bodied Chaser. Take part in a national dragonfly survey with the British Dragonfly Society by clicking here.

Our summer migrants are due to appear - look to the skies for returning swifts, sand martins and swallows and listen out for chiff chaffs. All these birds have flown incredible distances from southern Europe and Africa. They’ll be with us now until September, when their breeding season ends and they head south once more.

There’s less to do now that Spring is well underway, just keep on top of little jobs like path clearance, maintain Forest School basecamps and vegetable gardens, but above all, get outside and explore.

We’ve just taken delivery of an exciting new book in our shop. Called “The Wildlife of Britain - The Definitive Visual Guide”, it takes you on an exciting pictorial journey across our varied landscape and habitats. It’s a beautiful book, too heavy to take out in the field with you, but perfect to dip into on a rainy summer’s afternoon, as I’m doing today.

I’ve used my copy many times, to check the names of strange fungi I’ve spotted; to find out what that strange bird was on my bird table and to plan my trip to the coast later this year.

It may sound like a cliche, but it really is a treasure trove of ideas and information. If it doesn’t make you want to go out for a walk in the countryside, then I don’t know what will.