Bog myrtle catkins, Myrica Gale, 15 April Tall shrubs of bog myrtle, their catkins opening in flower. The deep, rich colours of the shrub glow on a day when rain drops from a recent shower gather beneath branches. Fragrant bog myrtle, Sweet gale, Myrica gale. At its most beautiful in April as its catkins flower and pale leaf buds are tight-closed.
A sequence of images shows the shrub amongst heather and holly, with a backdrop of conifers. Bog myrtle grows in waterlogged ground, here amongst golden tussocks of grasses. There's bilberry and heather and dead wood habitat to enjoy.
A sequence of images shows the shrub amongst heather and holly, with a backdrop of conifers. Bog myrtle grows in waterlogged ground, here amongst golden tussocks of grasses. There's bilberry and heather and dead wood habitat to enjoy.
Many of the catkins were still in tight- scaly buds. What I want to show is the deep colour of twig and branch and those pale leaf-buds threading through the body of the shrub. On the close-up images look at the detail within the catkin and on the leaf branch. Bog myrtle shrubs don't always grow as lavishly as here at Roudsea and we enjoyed a splendid display of early catkins.
We walked beside the River Leven where willows were pale gold with catkins. We sat eating lunch on the river bank, watching a pair of goosander feeding. The female of chestnut crest dipped below the water and rose with a silvery fish in her bill as did her mate. There must have been a passing shoal. Along the river bank alder were thick with catkins.
We were impressed by the warm welcome given at Brown Robin Nature Reserve on behalf of Cumbria Wildlife Trust by Honorary Reserve Manager Tony Saunders. He explained how the Reserve is managed, was skilled at interpreting songsters in the woodland: with chiffchaff, blackcap, wren, long-tailed tits, hawfinch and a sparrowhawk. Under a woodland canopy he lit a fire from wood shavings, boiled a kettle and made us hot drinks whilst we talked birds, woodcraft and the English longbow. He showed us one carved from yew and told us of a company of longbow-men from SIzergh who fought under Thomas Strickland at Agincourt. I imagine longbows sourced from these woods at Harfleur and at Agincourt.
We walked beside the River Leven where willows were pale gold with catkins. We sat eating lunch on the river bank, watching a pair of goosander feeding. The female of chestnut crest dipped below the water and rose with a silvery fish in her bill as did her mate. There must have been a passing shoal. Along the river bank alder were thick with catkins.
We were impressed by the warm welcome given at Brown Robin Nature Reserve on behalf of Cumbria Wildlife Trust by Honorary Reserve Manager Tony Saunders. He explained how the Reserve is managed, was skilled at interpreting songsters in the woodland: with chiffchaff, blackcap, wren, long-tailed tits, hawfinch and a sparrowhawk. Under a woodland canopy he lit a fire from wood shavings, boiled a kettle and made us hot drinks whilst we talked birds, woodcraft and the English longbow. He showed us one carved from yew and told us of a company of longbow-men from SIzergh who fought under Thomas Strickland at Agincourt. I imagine longbows sourced from these woods at Harfleur and at Agincourt.
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