Flowering season 2017
info: in the southeastern part of the forest, called ‘Keldergat’, trees have been felled this year (wood extraction). Trunks and crowns are lying in various places in that part of the forest and there are piles of firewood along the trails. From 1 March to 30 June however, the wood extraction stops (“schoon” time) and the loggers are not allowed to continue their work. “Schoon” time comes from the German “Schonen” meaning ‘save’, ‘protect’. The “schoon” period helps to protect the vegetation (spring flowers), to ‘save’ and not to disturb the nesting birds.
Permission for professional photo shoots, with or without models, or film recordings must be requested via the box office. In the Hallerbos you must always stay on the paths, also when taking pictures and filming. The soil and vegetation are fragile and very sensitive to trampling. The use of drones is not allowed in the forest.
We are planting the last trees for this winter. Cornelean cherry, blacktorn, common alder and small-leaved lime are being planted where grand firs used to be. More blooming spring flowers can be found: hairy wood-rush with its frail tiny flowers; the white flowers with a yellow heart of the barren strawberry, early dog-violet and on moist, calcareous soil the inconspicuously blooming dog’s mercury. On wetter places opposite-leaved and alternate-leaf golden saxifrage and oxlip bloom. It is mating season for frogs and toads. A pair of mandarin ducks feast on the frogspawn. The nuthatch is preparing its nest.
A wonderful day to go for a walk and to see spring awakening in the wood. Wood anemones love the sun, opening their white flowers completely on sunny days when they can ‘sunbathe’ all day long. In the edges of the wood, goat willows are blooming and provide food for the butterflies that hibernate as a butterfly. Brimestone and common peacock fly and frolick and come to refuel at the flowers of the willows. Now is the ideal time to observe the birds. Woodpeckers and nuthatches are the acrobats of the wood. Wild daffodils are now flowering profusely. We have to wait for blooming bluebells. But wood anemones and wild daffodils give the wood its spring atmosphere. The weather forecast for the coming days is not that good, though.
Spring is not far off. Just a few days of warm, sunny weather and the wood gets colour. The white flowers of wood anemones appear everywhere. On the edges of the paths, the yellow stars of lesser celandine can be seen. On the edges of the wood, blacktorn and cornelean cherry are blooming. Here and there on a sunny spot, low to the ground, the narrow yellow ray flowers of coltsfoot reach over the grass. The wild daffodils now steal the show, and as many are still in buds, many more so-called ‘Easter flowers’ can be expected the coming days.
The leaves of the bluebells pierce through the brown carpet of old beech leaves and give the forest floor a green touch. Along the forest edges where the sunlight is, blackthorn starts flowering. Groups of wild daffodils can now be seen in the wood. But many plants have yet to start flowering. The beautiful period for the daffodils (‘Easter flower’ in Dutch) will be the second half of March.
The grassland Boukendaal on the border of te Walloon region, which became part of the forest in 2015, is being planted with trees ans shrubs. The main tree species that is planted is pedunculate oak. There is also some wild cherry, hornbeam, small-leaved lime and white elm. As to the shrub, a broad belt of hawtorn, blacktorn, guelder-rose, cornelian cherry, alder bucktorn, wild crab apple, wild peer, dog-rose, briar rose, field maple and rowan is planted in the southern edge.
The first wood anemones are flowering. But the flower that will be in the main spotlight the coming weeks is the wild daffodil: more and more greyish green leaves, flower buds and flowers appear every day. They will be at their most beautiful in the second half of March. Meanwhile, the bluebell leaves start to push through the brown beech leaves and soften these brown colours with their green touch.