The first wild daffodils are in bloom. Cornelean cherry and blackthorn with its snow-white flowers bloom in the forest edge. Large arrow-shaped leaves of the Lords-and-Ladies stand out. Small wood anemones are showing up, with a small flower bud. The leaves of the bluebells poke through the dry beech leaves.
The forest continues to grow. Trees are planted at a second large planting site at the edge of the forest. Two large construction cranes have been rising above the horizon of the forest for several months. The Vlasmarktdreef bridge over the RO was demolished there last year and will be replaced by an ecoduct. The work is going smoothly but will only be completed well after the flowering time of the bluebells. The first white flowers on the blackthorn appear in the forest edges. And the heart-shaped leaves of lesser celandine can already be seen at the edges of the paths.
It is now planting time in the forest. The ‘Prima La Musica forest’, which the planting along Lorkendreef started last year, is being completed. In the meantime, the beautiful female flowers of the hazel, with their red stigmas, can also be seen. That’s really a sign that spring is coming. The first leaves of the bluebells pierce through the dead beech leaves. The snowdrops also have narrow leaves with a hard top and can pierce through the frozen soil and leaves. Fortunately, they can withstand a layer of snow and the frost that will certainly strike again. They can withstand temperatures down to -30°C, thanks to homemade ‘antifreeze’ in their leaves. Starch from the bulb is converted into sugars that act as ‘antifreeze’ in the leaves. As they flower so early, snowdrops do not rely on pollinators to reproduce. Instead, they spread via bulb division. That is why they are often found so close together. However, they may still be visited by bumblebees and other insects on a particularly warm day.
Wow! A thick carpet of snow in the forest. That was more than 10 years ago. Wonderful to take a walk in the woods. The male catkins of the hazel tree will have to wait a little longer to bloom.