Page 41 - Clarion February 2018

February in the Wyre Forest Linda Iles

This is a good month for those winter jobs in greens and doing themselves some good with a
garden, farm and forest. Last month I wrote about dose of iron and vitamins.
hedgelaying at Uncllys Farm, and we have also
put in many hours pruning the apple and pear
trees. The stone fruit (cherry, plum, damson,
greengage and apricot) are pruned in the growing
season when the sap is rising so that they are less
vulnerable to diseases such as silver leaf. I feel
myself very fortunate in being able to get rid of
the prunings by having a jolly good bonfire, often
of such good proportions that I can cook my
dinner in the embers! This is, sadly, not an option
for most town-dwellers.
The snowdrops seem to have been up for a while,
and the hazel catkins for even longer, spilling Now for something much more colourful. The
clouds of pollen on breezy days. This month look Hawfinches in Jubilee Gardens have attracted
out for the leaves and green flowers of Dog’s quite a bit of attention from birdwatchers. They
Mercury in the woods: it’s one of the earliest and other flocks in Britain have arrived from
plants to flower and probably the least exciting! mainland Europe, especially Germany and
However, my research (for which I thank the Romania, where seed crops have failed. They are
‘Flora Britannica’ by Richard Mabey) has turned particularly attracted to yew and hornbeam,
up some interesting facts on this common feeding on the fruits and seeds. They used to be
woodland ground cover. For one thing, it’s highly associated with the local cherry orchards and
poisonous and there are records of foragers could crack open the cherry stones with their
mistaking it for something palatable and being powerful beaks to get to the kernels inside. These
very ill with vomiting and other unpleasant would probably have been native birds (now
symptoms. It belongs to the spurge family, of quite scarce) living and breeding here, although
which I can’t imagine eating any member their numbers would have been boosted by
knowingly. The ‘mercury’ part of the name is visitors each winter. Thanks to Mick Farmer for
shared with the old pot-herb Chenopodium bonus- his photo.
henricus, more commonly known by the name Peacock and brimstone butterflies should emerge
Good King Henry. Hungry folk who had survived from hibernation this month if the weather is
the winter on dried beans and salted meat would warm enough, and perhaps there will be some
have welcomed the spring shoots of both this and birdsong and nest-making. Frogs may even start
the common stinging nettle, cooking the fresh to spawn if we have a good, sunny spell.
Linda Iles

Cleobury Clarion - Page !41 - February 2018