March Nature Diary (2025)
Nodding daffs, blossom galore and busy birds - nature is waking up!
9th March
Daffodils (part of the Narcissus family) are definitely one of those flowers that really heralds the coming of Spring for me - and they are really hitting their peak around the town about now. Seeing their heads nodding in the Spring breeze never fails to have me immediately reciting as many lines of the Wordsworth poem as I know…
Daffodils have a rich history in European culture, with the Romans introducing them to Britain where they became well-established wild and garden flowers with a peak in popularity in the sixteenth century.
They are perhaps best known in this country for being the national flower of Wales - although this is down to the Victorians and it isn’t clear why! It could be related to the Welsh name for daffodil - cenhinenen Bedr - which translates to ‘Peter's leek’. Leeks, of course, have a much more established symbolic connection with Wales, dating back to a victory in 1346 by the English against the French which featured a strong performance by a group of Welsh archers who fought bravely in a field of leeks leading to them being invited to wear a leek in their caps as a reminder of their bravery.
From the Ancient Greeks to medieval physicians, daffodils have also been used in medicine and were traditionally used as a poultice for burns and wounds and to induce vomiting (although with some pretty fatal results in the latter instance as the bulbs in particular are extremely poisonous!) Modern science has isolated the 'galantamine' extract (also found in snowdrops) from the bulbs, for use in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, whilst there is also research suggesting daffodil compounds could be helpful for treating depression and killing off certain cancer cells.
If you're particularly interested in these cheerful flowers, you might like to take a look at The Daffodil Society website. The Society was established in 1898 for keen gardeners, horticultural societies, professional growers, botanists and flower show exhibitors. Their Annual Show is coming up next weekend (5th and 6th April), and is held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Edgbaston.
Every month I curate a nature diary-style collection of my illustrations and observations of things I’ve noticed and been inspired by in my local environment. Make sure you never miss a post by subscribing to Drawn to Nature for free; and if you are minded to support my work, I’d be grateful if you would consider becoming a paid subscriber.
13th March
Sunshine again this morning after a couple of very changeable days with hail, sleet, rain and seemingly-permanent dark clouds. I heard my first woodpecker drumming in a stand of trees today, as well as seeing lots of blossom on everything from Pussy Willow and Yew trees, to the gloriously-coloured pink flowering currants already in full bloom in sheltered, sunny spots.
Walking along the river this morning, the noise from the resident rookery was cacophonous, with birds flitting about busily.
19th March
I heard my first chiffchaff this morning (recognised thanks to my Merlin Bird app, which I mentioned in last month’s Nature Diary). I’m sure I must have heard these birds before, but didn’t really engage with what I was hearing.
They really do quite clearly call out 'chiff chaff, chiff chaff' - have a listen. Apparently, chiffchaffs like to nest on (or near) the ground in thickets of brambles or nettles. The one I say this morning was singing from a tree branch above a large clump of brambles, so I suppose he might have been warning me off! They are one species benefitting from a warming climate to expand their breeding range in the UK, now pushing north into Scotland with some even residing year-round (traditionally they were a summer visitor only).
The collective noun for chiffchaffs - should you ever need to know it - is a' confusion'.
31st March
Our riverside walk this morning was absolutely full of the sounds of birds, including more chiffchaffs (definitely a ‘confusion’ of them, this time!) as well as a couple of woodpeckers (the rat-a-tat-tatting was coming from different directions), some linnets, a lot of very loud wrens, all the corvids, some woodpigeon, blue tits, great tits, chaffinches, goldfinches, robins and blackbirds. In case you can’t tell, I’m still enjoying my MerlinBird app - whilst I love listening to birdsong, I’m finding it so much more compelling now that I’m starting to be able to put a bird to a call!
I hope you’ve been able to get out-and-about in March? Let me know what nature you’ve noticed and enjoyed.
I love your posts so much.
There's definitely a confusion of Chiffchaffs in Edinburgh's woodlands at the moment!