Blues in the Wood

A walk Roundball Woods is guaranteed to lift the spirits whatever the weather, but a walk in the woods in May has to be the best. After a long winter the woods are alive with new growth.  Bright green and blue are the colours of the month. Leaves and buds are now showing on all the trees and a generous sprinkling of violets cover the banks, hedges and hillsides of Roundball.

It's the bluebells however that steal the show.  Britain has 60% of the world population of bluebells with the majority in the west of the country. Bluebells are flowering 2-3 weeks later this year but are well worth the wait. A walk through a bluebell wood on a warm May day is a treat for the senses. The combination of colours and scent of a bluebell wood is something to be savoured.

It is also worth taking some time to get closer to the ground on your walk up the hill. The violets along the hedge rows are also providing a scattering of blue in profusion not seen for many years and are flowers that deserve a closer look.

So if you are feeling blue, get up the hill to the woods and give yourself a treat. Just don't forget to take your wellies.

Come and join us in the woods.

The wardens of Roundball Wood are organising a guided walk around the woodland at 2pm on Sunday 12th May. The walk, which will last for approx 2 hrs will be an opportunity to find out more about the woods, it's plants and animals and see the work that is currently being done to improve the footpaths. 

The Roundball Wood Wardens have now got their own webpage and blog which keeps people up to date with what's happening in the woods. QR codes have been placed on the entrances to Roundball and allow those with mobile phones to get straight to the website and blog. The blog can also be accessed via the Roundball Wood page on www.honiton.gov.uk. 

The walk up Roundball Hill can be quite strenuous and after one of the wettest Winters on record the woodland is still drying out so suitable footwear is recommended. We will be meeting at the bottom of Roundball Hill by the gateway next to the Nature Reserve at Battishorne Way. Anyone interested in joining the walk is asked to book a place by phoning the Town Council on 01404-42957 or emailing  towncouncil@honiton.gov.uk

I'm a Queen Bee and it's all down to Me.

On a visit to Roundball Meadow this week I stopped and watched a Queen Bumblebee for about 10 minutes.  Keeping close to the ground the bee quartered the meadow passing many flowers without stopping, but always checking out bare soil and holes in the ground. 

Unlike Honey Bees which over-winter as a colony, in the Bumblebee world only the queen survives the winter.  After hibernating underground or behind the bark in dead trees, the queen emerges to feed up and then find a suitable site to build a nest. Using old mouse or vole nests, the bee creates a nest site in which she forms a small honey pot from secreted wax . She then fills it with nectar and having been fertilised by a male in the previous year, she then gets on with the business of laying eggs to form a new colony.

The Bumblebee I watched was no doubt searching for a suitable nest site. A remarkable insect with a great responsibility. Being the sole survivor of her colony the creation of the new generation is all down to her. As a friend of mine said 'a woman's work is never done' .

Making up for lost time

After waiting months for spring flowers at Roundball, they all come along at once. There is little doubt that the last few weeks has seen primroses, celandines and wood anemones in numbers that few peoples can recall seeing before. Plants are a lot smarter that we often assume, and after being held back by the cold spring they are making up for lost time. Their objective is to flower, get pollinated and set seed for the next generation, and are making the most of the good weather to get started.

After putting up with all the cold and wet weather it's great to see the sun, and some locals have already been seen in Honiton High Street in 'T' shirts and shorts. We are making the most of the good weather whilst it lasts and the wild flowers at Roundball are doing just the same. 

It looks as if after waiting for so long, we are now witnessing one of the best displays of wild flowers for many years. It's been worth the wait.