introduction
floristic catalogue
faunistic catalogue
contact
index
gallery 1: 2006-2012
gallery 2: 2012-
map
>> 2007 Mar 25
<< 2007 Mar 10

                         a   S T A M M E R  project              

2007 March 17 & 18, Saturday & Sunday

Spring will be here soon and then things will be going very fast. In order to detain the course of events, here some stills of opening buds.

Corylus avellana, illuminated by the first sunrays.
Sunday 7:14

Crateagus monogyna
Sunday 7:22

Rosa canina
Sunday 7:19

Cornus sanguinea
Sunday 7:30

______________

The first bulb to flower on the terrain resulted to be the Grape Hyacinth  (Muscari neglectum)  here in the company of the annual Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule) on the left and Catsear (Hypochaeris radicata) on the right.

Massively flowering in some parts is another annual: Small Alison (or Pale Madwort; Alyssum alyssoides).

______________

There are many Blackthorn shrubs (Prunus spinosa) on the terrain but only this one was completely in bloom. With the berries of this shrub they make the typical alcoholic drink of Navarra: Pacharan.

______________

This Common Box (Buxus sempervirens) shrub was flowering in a much more modest way. Common Box is abundantly present in the shadow of the Quercus faginea trees on the border of the wood. It normally stays relatively low but in the next photograph I captured some specimen which were over 4 meters tall.

______________

In his well-known and inspiring book 'Wildlife Gardening', Chris Baines talked about the courage needed to cut Common Ivy (Hedera helix) down to 10 cm above the ground. Well, I took up all my forces and did it. The idea is to stimulate the roots and especially the potential of the plant to stick to walls. When I planted the Ivy in the autumn it had very long trails and it seems that it is very difficult for them to stick like this as can be seen on the first photograph taken more than 2 months ago.

On an excursion to a nearby abandoned village we discovered this centenarian  Common Ivy. Its trunk had a diameter of about 22 centimetres. Will my tiny and now mutilated plant ever reach this 'cathedral' size? The limiting factor will probably be the cement stone wall which can't compete with solid rock.

______________

More centenarians were discovered on a plot in the middle of cereal fields about 2 kms from our terrain: age-old Portuguese Oaks (Quercus faginea) and Prickly Junipers (Juniperus oxycedrus). Still quite green and vital but the farming of the cereal field had clearly damaged some roots of the Juniper in the first photograph.

______________

A peculiar phenomena is the presence on the terrain of Couch Grass (Elytrigia repens),  generally notorious as an invasive, nitrophile weed which needs some soil humidity. It grows on the highest part of the lowest terrace in very distinct patches. It must have something to do with the spread of their vigorous rhizomes but its specific location also might indicate the infiltration of water and nutrients (fertilizers from the past?) from the higher terraces. Usually considered undesirable but on our terrain it represents a specific habitat of relatively long grass and I noticed for example the presence of a moss layer which was completely absent in the surrounding area.

______________

The earthworms had also waken up. I have already talked about their extraordinary behaviour on 21 October 2006. On the former place of the caravan (we moved it 5 meters to the west) where the soil was a bit barren and compacted by our trampling, they had been again surprisingly active. A nice way of loosening the soil.

introduction
floristic catalogue
faunistic catalogue
contact
index
gallery 1: 2006-2012
gallery 2: 2012-
map
>> 2007 Mar 25
<< 2007 Mar 10