One of our neighbours in the village is a professional ecologist and undertakes work for Herefordshire Wildlife Trust as I understand it. Quite a handy neighbour to have and Will takes delight in sharing papers on bee surveys he has undertaken at the Manor House next door and news about the local frog population and so on. The conversation has developed and we now find ourselves with the socially distanced installation of a Vane trap designed to survey a particular ecological niche of beetles (those that feed on dead and rotting wood). In addition our own wood - supposedly named "Coney Burrow" has become part of a square on Will's botanical survey as part of a national scheme. It was interesting to receive news that we have two ancient large leaved lime coppicing stools and that the large lime at the back of the our barn is also an indigenous and old large leaved lime as well. I am looking forward to seeing what we do have. I have never really taken much interest in botany. My collecting streak however has now kicked in.
Will was very pleased to discover that we have two patches of Ransoms or Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum). I am not sure what the connection is with bears but there seems to be from the latin unless I am mistaken. Another name in my copy of Step's Wayside and Woodland Blossoms is Broad-leaved Garlic. I love the descriptions from this pre-war gem. Ransoms are a "strong smelling, pungent plant with a bulb like an onion". They are of course Alliums and related to onions. The "leaves, instead of being tubular as in the onion, are spread-out broadly lanced shaped, 6 or 8 inches long, like those of lily of the valley for which indeed they are often mistaken before flowering". I have to say we made the same mistake when we first saw the leave rosettes in the bottom of the wood and probably missed the plants flowering altogether last year. Step would be pleased for our loss complaining that "the flower-stem is three-sided, and supports an umbel of about twelve pure white starry blossoms, rich in nectar, but giving forth the characteristic odour of garlic that is not pleasing to British nostrils". Step was clearly a Brexiteer but mistakenly would have our native garlic sent back across the channel due to its gallic perfume.
We had an altogether better plan suggested by Will who was keen to arrange a trade with our neighbours, the Lewis's, as one of their woods would be ideal for our garlic and he noted that we were sadly lacking in Yellow Archangel (Lamium Galeobdolon). Another common name for this plant of the nettle family is Weasel Snout. I think you can see the suggestion of a weasels head in the botanical below. It seemed like a fair swap to me - a beautiful flowering nettle with orchid like yellow flowers for some stinky garlic. The trade was brokered by Will with our neighbouring farmer Adam and in keeping with social distancing we emailed instructions for the Ransom swap - pun intended.
Within 24 hours we received pictures of one of our Ransoms at its new home a very fetching water feature known as the "Dingle".
It looks like very promising Willow Tit habitat to me. The messier the better !
And here "he" is (I assume that Archangels are male in keeping with high church traditions). A lot smarter than your average Purple Dead-Nettle in any event. A very pleasing botanical swap now installed in the front of the wood on the Eastern side. In many ways far more satisfactory than a purchase from a garden centre. I really hope it takes and we have a big patch of these beautiful plants over time.
It think it has been set in Bluebells and Forget-Me-Nots. Both of which I am going to miss this year due to travel restrictions. A note has come through from Emirates though asking me if I still want my seat on June 12th - I'll have to think about that one ! Getting back to Dubai could be problematic in July but by then it will be 3 months without seeing Jane and more like 4 and 6 months without seeing each of the boys. Time to take a chance and get in the queue for a flight back if needs be. Hopefully things will be moving by then. I can get tested before I fly home and we have an App here for tracing. In many ways we are ahead of the UK with tracking and tracing. There is a backlog of UAE residents trying to get back into Dubai - a lot of labour went home during the severest portion of the lockdown or was locked out of the country when the flight stopped.
I will dutifully quarantine on arrival in the UK for 14 days - at Oaklands - so no chore there. I am counting down the days now but also noting everything I am missing so that I can time a trip next year to fill the gaps in the natural calender I have missed. I resent the loss of a season. It looks like our Yellow Archangel will be out in early to mid-May. I am not sure when the Ransoms actually flower - its says April to June in my guide but we do seem a little later at our lofty height on the "Bromyard Downs". Anyway 15 days and counting and I hope there is plenty of birdsong remaining on my return.
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