April 28th
The wood colours completely green. A frail magical fresh-green light filters through an uncountable number of young beech leaves. The bluebells are withering. Only the ones on the few places where there still is enough sunlight have their purple-blue colour. But there is less light each day in the wood and the bluebells are less noticeable. In the moist, calcareous valleys wild garlic is flowering. Great horsetail arises from the shallow water of source streams. Solomon’s seal, yellow archangel and sweetscented bedstraw are flowering. The nuthatch couple has young, caterpillars are being delivered and faecal sacks are removed. Wood mice are active, and by twilight when it is more quiet in the wood, the roe deer can feel at home again in the wood. The wonderful flowering period of bluebells is over and has passed very quickly this year.