Hazel Catkins

[chief squirrel]

Am trying to work out wether hazel catkins are early this year. The hazel are already full of them , they are not yet ripe but are they usually on the trees at this time of the year?

[Deer Stalker]

Hi Chief Squirrel.
They usually start developing towards the end of summer & then get a growth spurt on in March/April to ripen.

Put a picture on if you can.

[AndyC]

Found these in Somerset today, this is surely too early. A lot of the bushes have a few catkins this advanced and one has nearly all of them in this state. A lot had been knocked off by last nights gales and rain.





Andy

[Paul mabbott]

Looks as if the catkins are releasing pollen and the female flower is ripe. I've seen the same in Northants recently but up here the catkins are not yet ripe, although earlier than 'normal' (whatever that is). I'm not sure what you'd expect in the south and SW ....

Originally Posted by AndyC

Found these in Somerset today, this is surely too early. A lot of the bushes have a few catkins this advanced and one has nearly all of them in this state. A lot had been knocked off by last nights gales and rain.
Andy

[maggot at toad hall]

Stover Country Park near Newton Abbot, Devon.
There have been catkins on the Hazel since the end of September 2010; just after the nuts ripened. They are between 1cm and 2cm in length and green in colour; not ripe and appear to be dormant as they have not increased in size recently.

[poschiavanus]

I expect to see my first obvious miniature immature catkins around the start of August.

I have a young hazel (about 3 years old) in the garden and missed the female flowers this spring, but it had a crop of 13 nuts. The male flowers have appeared for the first time this summer.