SPRING

This month we’re composing a love letter to spring and anticipating all of the sights, sounds and joy that blue skies, longer days, and warmer weather is set to bring...

FOR MANY, spring is the best season of all, with blue skies, fresh air, new signs of life and without the sticky, exhausting heat of mid-summer.

The beginning of spring is marked officially by the equinox, but unofficially – and subjectively – by some of our favourite signs that the season is changing, and so in a love letter to the season we thought we’d identify a few of the things we’re looking forward to this month...

Lighter Days

Solstice refers the longest (in June) and shortest (in December) days in the year, whilst the term equinox denotes the two times in a year (in March and September) when both day and night are equal in duration.

The British have also been observing British Summer Time since William Willett first proposed changing the clocks in 1916, which was mandated by the Summer Time Act. In 2023, the clocks will go forward by an hour on 26th March, when we can all look forward to some lighter evenings. In mid-March, sunrise occurs at 6.01am, and sunset at 8.03pm.

Warmer Weather

Just to complicate matters, weather scientists split the year into quarters based on statistics for temperature norms, and begin their spring measurements on 1st March, lasting until 31st May.

March sees average temperatures of between 5°c and 12°c, with an average of 40mm rainfall and 107 hours of sunshine.

In February, temperatures are about 5°c cooler and there’s only 77hrs sunshine. Scientists have identified exposure to sunshine and our production of vitamin D as beneficial for improving sleep, reducing stress and strengthening the immune system.

On the Farm

For livestock operations, spring means lambing and calving. About 16m ewes give birth in Britain each year, and though lambing can take place from November to May there’s still a birth rate peak in March. On arable farms, slurry is spread on fields, drilling of sugar beet, potato crops and peas takes place and cereal crops are sprayed with fertiliser and pesticides. >>

Words: Rob Davis.

On the Trees

Spring means new growth on trees. In March, ash, beech, oak and rowan buds begin bursting into life, with alder, maple and birch next. Though cherry blossom is synonymous with spring, it actually blossoms a little later, typically in April.

In the Garden

In our own gardens, snowdrops will gradually give way to daffodils and bluebells, perhaps the first few crocuses too. The arrival of spring blossom is another highlight for many, and bare-root blossom trees can be purchased now and planted out. Elsewhere it’s time to give the garden a good tidy up. Leaving the lawn a little longer before giving it the first cut of the season, however, will benefit pollinators.

Insects

Insects also begin to awaken in March, with peacock, tortoiseshell and brimstone butterflies first to be seen, followed by the small white and red admiral. As the weather continues to warm up, beetles, spiders and ladybirds are next to appear.

Bees

Spring Forward

The first day of spring is Monday 20th March, coinciding with the spring equinox – the first day of astronomical spring – when the day and night are almost equal in duration.

Birds will also begin to sing the dawn chorus to identify their territory about half an hour fore and aft of sunrise from March. Interestingly there’s always a set sequence to the species who sing; robins and blackbirds are first, followed by thrushes and then wrens, warblers, great tits, and finally sparrows and finches.

Bees

It’s estimated that there are just 1.23m honeybees in the UK, and 24 of the UK’s bee species are bumblebees, with a colony typically comprising of about 400.

Gardeners will see bees buzzing around as temperatures warm up, and planting as many bee-friendly species as possible will help ensure this essential part of our eco-system thrives.

Since 1900, the decline in bee population has seen the loss of 13 species of bee, through change in land use, habitat loss, pesticide use and invasive non-native plant species.

It’s estimated that to perform the job of pollination that bees help us with would cost the economy £1.8bn in labour in the UK alone. Their preservation is essential, hence the advice of planting bee-friendly seed mixes where possible, for instance in a wildflower meadow left uncut with marigold, poppy, cornflower and oxeye daisies. n