Each week I will be uploading new pictures of my Daffodil plants - as they grow! Compare them with your own.
Don't forget to take part in the Crocus Drawing Competiton to win prizes!
Back to Spring bulbs homepage
It is mid February and the wet and windy weather that persisted throughout January has given way to clearer skies. The days have been sunny and bright but quite cold at the same time, and the clear nights are leaving ponds and puddles iced over long into the morning.
Many of the early signs that spring is on the way have been on show for a few weeks now. Snowdrops have been up since late January and hazel catkins have been swinging in the breeze since the beginning of the month. Primrose and lesser celandines have also been growing about the site since mid February. The hawthorn bushes are growing fresh green leaves and the daffodils are flowering too. I’ve also seen quite a few bumblebees since the start of the month and I found a lone ladybird perching on a twig.
Amphibians such as frogs and newts filling up small ponds are a good indicator that spring is truly here, because it means the water is warming up. I found a few newts in the tannery pits last week but it’s still a bit too cold for them with the water prone to freezing in the night. Keep your eyes peeled for frogs spawning around the beginning of March when it’s a bit warmer. Listen out too for chiffchaffs singing later in March. They are usually one of the first of our migrant bird species to arrive from Africa.
Last week was the school half term holidays and I ran workshops based on spotting the signs of spring. Over 1200 visitors took part in a leaf quiz, and went out spotting spring flowers and birds with my spring trails. You can download spring trails and record what you’ve seen on the Nature Detectives website. You can also visit the brand new Exploring Our Woodlands website which will be taking shape over the next few weeks.
Each week I will be uploading new pictures of my Crocus plants - as they grow! Compare them with your own.
Don't forget to take part in the Crocus Drawing Competiton to win prizes!
Back to Spring bulbs homepage
It’s been very wet and windy over the past few months, with just the occasional sunny spell breaking through before the miserable midwinter weather sets in again. The weather has made wildlife watching hard, with most of the birds keeping their heads down to avoid getting blown away! I have noticed however, during my wanders in the brief sunny breaks, that the birds seem a lot tamer and don’t fly away as readily as they usually do. The reason is probably that their energy reserves are low and so they are trying to conserve as much energy by doing as little as possible. Either that or they are just so used to visitors that they simply don’t mind anymore. I swear there was a Robin following me around yesterday…
The project is quickly racing towards the natural extravaganza that is the springtime. The information panels for the path are written, and we’re finalising the design. The wildlife cameras will be here soon (I can’t wait!) and a flash new website is on the way too. I’m also busy preparing worksheets for families and lesson plans and resources for teachers, so it’s all very hectic, but should make the spring and summer a very special time indeed. I've had enough of the winter now, bring on the spring!
Er gwaetha'r tywydd rhynllyd, mae cornel o iard Eglwys Teilo Sant dal yn gynnes iawn. Gefail dros-dro sydd yno, ble mae dau arbenigwr-ac-artist yn gweithio ar ail-greu cloch Ganol Oesol gynnar. Roedd gan llawer o'r seintiau Cymreig yn y 6ed ganrif rai o'r rhain. Gellir darllen ychydig amdanynt (yn saesneg) ar y ddalen hon, sydd wedi'i ysgrifennu gan arbenigwr Canol Oesol Amgueddfa Cymru, Mark Redknap.
'The Christian Celts: Treasures of Late Celtic Wales'
Mae Andrew Murphy a Tim Young - y naill yw'r Gof yma yn Sain Ffagan, mae'r llall yn arbenigwr mewn metelau ac archaeoleg ymarferol - yn defnyddio megin enfawr i geisio ail-greu cloch Sant Ceneu. Mae'r gloch wreiddiol yn rhan o'r casgliad cenedlaethol. Mae Andrew a Tim yn defnyddio technegau tebyg i'r rhai a ddefnyddiwyd i wneud y gloch wreiddiol yn y 6ed ganrif i'w ail-greu. Maent yn gwneud hyn i geisio dysgu mwy am waith metel y cyfnod mewn ffordd ymarferol - rydym ni wastad yn arbrofi yn Sain Ffagan, felly mae'n braf gweld llwyddiant y gwaith ar ddyddiadur gwe Tim Young.
Cewch luniau, sylwadau a disgrifiadau yma ar
wefan Geoarch.
Bydd mwy o wybodaeth am y prosiect yn cael ei gyhoeddi ar ein chwaer-safle, Rhagor: darganfod byd o gasgliadau, ar derfyn y gwaith. Mwynhewch ddyddiadur Tim yn y cyfamser!
I gadw'r thema: cloch lawer yn iau na chloch Ceneu yw'r gloch yn nhwr yr eglwys ei hun. Mae wedi'i seilio ar gynllun o'r 15eg ganrif o Lanilltyd Fawr. Fe'i castiwyd yn arbennig i ni yn ffowndri Taylors, Loughborough - man geni 'Great Paul', sy'n hongian hyd heddiw yng Nghadeirlan Sant Paul yn Llundain. Mae'n un ni ddipyn yn llai, ond yn ddigon swnllyd ta beth!
Clychau Taylor, Eayre and Smith
Hwyl am y tro a blwyddyn newydd dda!
Winter work in the gardens at St Fagans
Today you can see that lots of my flowers have opened. They really brighten up this cloudy spring day in Cardiff.
My flower is now fully open. It is bright yellow and has six large petals. It is 37cms tall. If you look inside you can see the stigma and anthers.
If you look at the flower from the side you can see it is shaped a bit like a trumpet.
Finally my 1st Daffodil flower has opened! It will take a day or two to open fully. Before it opened, the head tilted downwards.
Here is a close-up of the bud. You can see it's still wrapped up in its casing and not yet open. It should tilt downwards just before it opens.
22nd Feb 2008. The leaves are 25cm tall. They have begun to open out - so they can catch more sunlight to start storing energy. The bud is slightly taller at 32cms.
8th Feb 2008. Leaves and bud are a 11cms tall.
31st Jan 2008. First Daffodil leaves and bud appear. 4cm tall.
Today you can see that lots of my flowers have opened. They really brighten up this cloudy spring day in Cardiff.
My flower is now fully open. It is bright yellow and has six large petals. It is 37cms tall. If you look inside you can see the stigma and anthers.
If you look at the flower from the side you can see it is shaped a bit like a trumpet.
Finally my 1st Daffodil flower has opened! It will take a day or two to open fully. Before it opened, the head tilted downwards.
Here is a close-up of the bud. You can see it's still wrapped up in its casing and not yet open. It should tilt downwards just before it opens.
22nd Feb 2008. The leaves are 25cm tall. They have begun to open out - so they can catch more sunlight to start storing energy. The bud is slightly taller at 32cms.
8th Feb 2008. Leaves and bud are a 11cms tall.
31st Jan 2008. First Daffodil leaves and bud appear. 4cm tall.
