Nature Blog by Jenny Bourne

Near neighbour Matt reports from his shed: ‘The wrens have hatched in my T-shirt! The parents are going in and out with food and taking out poops!’ No photos yet as Matt doesn’t want to disturb the nesting family… It’s that time of year;

RPA beekeepers Jem and Rose collected a swarm from a plot near the beehives on Monday. So far the swarm season on site has been busy this year despite the beekeepers’ efforts to minimize swarming of the colonies by careful management.

The fruit blossom has been abundant this year, thanks to a largely warm and dry spring and the bees have been all over the trees; the old apple on my plot is a-buzz with them. The early plum has given way to cherry and apple and in the SW wildlife area the blackthorn blossom is almost over and hawthorn is on the way,

Have you noticed many, or any butterflies during this recent spell of perfect spring sun? I’ve seen a couple of Brimstones, Peacocks, a Red Admiral and a few Large Whites over the past couple of weeks, but it hasn’t been good news on the butterfly front;

The temperatures plummeted last week following the year’s first Sunday RPA event – Seed sale and café re-opening when we were so lucky to have blue skies and warm sun! But despite the past week or so of very chill winds the birds are springing back into action;