Nature watch, with Ron Freethy

AS the month of April comes to an end, the wet miserable and cold weather has continued.

What has all this done to the spring flowers?

The answer is not a lot because bluebells, wood anemones and primroses are all flourishing and on time.

This seems to prove that the main factor in determining the onset of flowering is the increase in the number of hours of daylight.

The rise in temperature at this time of year does have some effect but this is not a major factor.

During flowering it seems that a chemical known as salicylic acid triggers the opening of buds.

We know the compound as aspirin.

If you have a pot plant which is slow to bloom, an aspirin dissolved in water may well do the trick. The month of May to many people means bluebells but just because the plant is common in East Lancashire we should not take it for granted.

The bluebell likes mild, damp weather and so the Western side of Britain is the perfect habitat.

In recent times there has been a trend towards wildlife gardening and many garden centres sell bluebell bulbs.

The majority of garden centres are owned by law-abiding folk but there are now gangs of people who dig up stretches of wild bluebell woods and offer the bulbs for sale. Those who love their gardens should take care to ensure that they only buy their stock from dealers whose credentials can be trusted.

Those of us who know and love the East Lancashire countryside do not believe that our area has no woodlands.

We have some splendid wooded areas which are full of flowers and which are seen at their best during May end early June.

You do not have to travel very far to enjoy pretty woodland walks and I would suggest the following:

Towneley Woods in Burnley,

Spring Wood near Whalley,

Witton Park in Blackburn,

Brungerley Woods on the outskirts of Clitheroe,

Sunnyhurst Woods at Darwen,

The disused railway line between Colne and Earby,

The disused railway line from Helmshore, starting at the Textile Museum.

I would be interested to hear from readers who have a favourite woodland.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.