bark patterns at Georges Hayes

wild daffodils

Today we chose to visit Georges Hayes, a Staffordshire Wildlife Trust reserve, with ancient woodland and wild daffodils which were just coming into flower, I expect the best is yet to come, but it was still spectacular accompanied with a hint of the heady scent of wild garlic providing a suggestion of what is yet to come!

wild daffodils, wood anemone and celandine 

On the 19th March 2011 we visited Georges Hayes to view the beautiful show of daffodils, and after all the snow and wintry scenes over the last week and this Easter weekend I had hoped that a return visit today might just prove that Spring is actually happening.
We arrived to find the whole woodland covered in snow, undeterred we continued with our walk.
The wood looked spectacular even under steely skies and at time we caught glimpses, where the snow had melted, of a late spring to come with a mass of wild garlic leaves.

But we really had to hunt for any sign of daffodils, treading very carefully, wherever possible on the same footprints of  previous walkers, as we were aware that under our feet daffodils could be on the verge of breaking through the snow.

So this weekend wasn't the right time for viewing the daffodils this year - hopefully in a couple of weeks time they will be out in their full glory

A host of golden Daffodils

It has been several years since I last visited George Hayes reserve and as it is a Saturday in the middle of March and the sun was shining we made the decision to pay it a visit.
Georges Hayes is a Staffordshire Wildlife Trust reserve   It is home to an ancient woodland but more importantly for me today, it also has the largest colony of native daffodils in Staffordshire.
When we arrived at the reserve a large bumble bee flew past, the first one I've seen this year, so a great start! then we were confronted by a large amount of litter scattered about the car parking area, so our first job, (which we really didn't have time to do because the rugby was on TV all afternoon, which apparently we needed to get back for!) was to collect up all the litter up into a bag. House keeping done we walked into the woodland.

 The ground was covered in wild garlic leaves and a hint of their heady aroma hit us in waves,

There was also the evidence of the beautiful delights that will await the visitors later in the spring with bluebell leaves all around us too.

The path was also dotted with celandine, and the sound of the woodpeckers drumming along with the calls of the numerous small woodland birds made us very aware that spring is in full swing.

Then there they were in all their glory,' I wandered lonely as a cloud'  can't fail to jump into ones mind at this time.

Daffodils happen to be one of my favourite flowers!

I could have sat amongst them all day!

.... but alas! I couldn't as the rugby was on TV all afternoon and apparently we needed to get back for it!!!!