Spring in sprung and world sparrow day

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The astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere begins today, Sunday, March 20.The Spring (vernal) equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is also known as the March equinox. It's called the "autumnal (fall) equinox" in the Southern Hemisphere. The March equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from south to north.  And a lovely day it was too, with seas calm, and a vivid red sunset.  The first few signs of spring are now appearing too with lots of daffodils nodding their heads and primroses flowering.  If you look closely at the trees and bushes, buds can also be seen ready to burst forth.  Blackthorn trees are also just starting to blossom in warmer corners.  Blackthorns are often confused with hawthorns.  To tell them apart blackthorns flower first and before their leaves and hawthorns flower later and after its leaves.  For further information check out: http://www.wildlifeinsight.com/3563/whats-the-difference-between-blackthorn-and-hawthorn/
 
If you are looking for other signs of spring, then frog, toad and newt spawn should also be around.  The first butterflies are out - look for tortoiseshells, yellow brimstone and peacocks.  The yellow brimstone is often the first butterfly to be seen after the winter:  http://butterfly-conservation.org/50-1310/brimstone.html



The gardens are also now full of chirping birds, with sparrows and dunnocks busy collecting nesting materials.  As well as it being the first day of spring today, it is also World Sparrow Day: http://www.worldsparrowday.org
Keep an eye out for hedgehogs coming out of hibernation.  They need all the help they can get at the moment.  A fantastic website giving you all the information you could need is: http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/  Here you will find what to find hedgehogs and how to keep them safe.  If you do want to feed a hedgehog then give shallow dish of water and a combination of:

• Meat-based dog or cat food
• Unsalted chopped or crushed peanuts
• Sunflower hearts
• Dried meal worms

But do check out the website as it tells you how to get your garden hedgehog ready this spring.  We have lost a third of our hedgehogs in the last ten years, with an estimate of fewer than a million left in the UK.  Hedgehogs are declining at the same rate as tigers - around 5% a year.

Lastly, have a look for the emergence of the bumblebee or Bombus terrestris. The buff-tailed bumblebee queen, the largest UK species, is usually the first bee to emerge, often at the end of February. The other queen bee possibly out and about at the moment is Bombus lucorum, the white-tailed bumblebee. If you're interested, Bumblebee.org have a lovely guide to tell the two apart.

Happy spring everyone!