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15-01-2007, 05:20 PM
|  | Active Member | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: near Cambridge
Posts: 1,106
| | | Snowdrops
I spotted our first garden Snowdrops in full bloom yesterday, the earliest I can recall. Cheered me up no end 
Jeff |
15-01-2007, 05:59 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Letchworth Garden City
Posts: 1,359
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Me too. I don't know how long they have been in flower, as it's about a week since it stopped raining enough for me to want to walk to the bottom of the garden. The hellebores are just starting to get their flowers as well. |
15-01-2007, 06:15 PM
|  | Active Member | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Aberdeenshire
Posts: 35
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Sure it was meant to snow first 
I read that there aren't any snowdrops in Ireland, anyone know if this true? |
15-01-2007, 06:40 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,529
| | | Re: Snowdrops
I've had snowdrops since the 7th, which really surprised me, and they're still sprouting up everywhere. And the hellebores are covered in buds, which is very exciting. I love hellebores!
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. |
15-01-2007, 07:14 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Yorkshire Dales
Posts: 1,194
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Our first was 13th January, and we're 800m up in the Dales.
Incidently have you come across the nature's calendar website. nature's calendar
The're starting to collate records of the first signs of spring and there is a link to an animated map showing the first snowdrop records throughout the country. You might need to register - I can't remember whether I had to or not first time I used it - my computer logs me on automatically now. I still have the feeling there's some rough stuff still to come this winter.
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Rob |
15-01-2007, 07:18 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 3,654
| | | Re: Snowdrops
I saw my first ones of 2007 in the woods at Strumpshaw fen on Saturday. |
15-01-2007, 07:25 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Berkshire
Posts: 1,772
| | | Re: Snowdrops
I found some in the garden on Sunday, but I have no idea how long they have been there - not garden weather!
Jenny |
15-01-2007, 08:26 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 5,252
| | | Re: Snowdrops
My first ones in the garden have been out for a few days, but the smaller variety is nowhere as advanced. |
15-01-2007, 09:29 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: London
Posts: 2,092
| | | Re: Snowdrops
I saw some in Regent's Park, London on the 28 December 2006 - but haven't yet seen any this year . Quote:
Originally Posted by aeshna5  My first ones in the garden have been out for a few days, but the smaller variety is nowhere as advanced. | |
16-01-2007, 12:31 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,529
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Thanks for the link, Rob
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. |
17-01-2007, 12:01 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 5,252
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiggrx I saw some in Regent's Park, London on the 28 December 2006 - but haven't yet seen any this year . | On Boxing Day I had a long walk to Kensington Gardens from my parent's home to work off Xmas excesses + noticed Snowdrops then in flower as well as a Narcissus which may have been Paper White! |
17-01-2007, 12:43 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,529
| | | Re: Snowdrops
I joined natures calender, Rob, and entered a couple of things, but can't find a list of my entries anywhere, to check whether they've gone in? Any tips?
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. |
17-01-2007, 01:43 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,220
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Quote:
Originally Posted by badgerwatcher I joined natures calender, Rob, and entered a couple of things, but can't find a list of my entries anywhere, to check whether they've gone in? Any tips? | They've changed the entry/look-up system at the phenology network - nature's calendar - and I must admit that I've been able to find or enter any dates for about a year. Must take some time to to do that because it's a very useful study. They're very helpful if you contact them for advice!
Back to snowdrops. There are several Galanthus species grown in gardens. We have a rather small-growing one which is coming into flower now but it is always two-three weeks earlier than the 'native' one. I mention this in case people consider logging observatuions of unknown garden species into the 'Nature's Calendar' ...... |
17-01-2007, 01:49 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,529
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Oh, I didn't know that, Paul. I wouldn't want to put their records out. What is the differences between the two? Are there just two varieties?
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. |
17-01-2007, 02:57 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,220
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Quote:
Originally Posted by badgerwatcher Oh, I didn't know that, Paul. I wouldn't want to put their records out. What is the differences between the two? Are there just two varieties? | No, many more than two. There are some very short and some very tall ones but the native, as I remember (I think there's an id page on the website), has single petals, only one flower per stem and a single green patch on the inner petals - all others are imposters!
Cheers, Paul
Very, sort of ... blue ... your hat ... very summery |
17-01-2007, 02:59 PM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 24
| | | Re: Snowdrops
If you will excuse my interuption;
there are around 27 species of Galanthus. Added to this are many cultivars of the Common Snowdrop G. nivalis. Not all species will grow in a naturalised fashion in the UK but some will, for example G. rizehensis, G. elwesii and G. gracilis.
I seem to remember downloading an identification key from Kew Garden's website a few years ago. It was rather complicted though and I seem to have lost the file. |
17-01-2007, 03:16 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,529
| | | Re: Snowdrops
The ones I've got are the very simple, single white, single frilly green-edged inner circle, like I remember from childhood, when nothing was a cultivar! And look as if they've been spreading happily for years. So hopefully they're ok.
Regarding the hat, I was at cropredy folk festival, and that sort of thing brings out the worst in me, hat-wise. I feel among my own people, as everyone dresses like they're inside a kalaedascope, whereas normally, it's just me. Don't you like the blue? Or is it the hat generally? It was one of the more subdued of the hats I bought there. Haven't worn any of them since. The world isn't ready! 
I'll go and look for Kew Gardens website, Brachystegia. That sounds like fun.
(Why Brachystegia, by the way? Is it a favourite tree? Or is it a play on Mutsiwa, the one who is left behind?)
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. |
17-01-2007, 03:41 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,220
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Sounds right. Quote:
Originally Posted by badgerwatcher The ones I've got are the very simple, single white, single frilly green-edged inner circle, like I remember from childhood, when nothing was a cultivar! And look as if they've been spreading happily for years. So hopefully they're ok.
Regarding the hat, I was at cropredy folk festival, and that sort of thing brings out the worst in me, hat-wise. I feel among my own people, as everyone dresses like they're inside a kalaedascope, whereas normally, it's just me. Don't you like the blue? Or is it the hat generally? It was one of the more subdued of the hats I bought there. Haven't worn any of them since. The world isn't ready! | I have no problem with the hat, honestly, it's just very bright! Every year we say we'll go to Cropredy (spend quite a lot of time over the border in western Northants) but have never made it yet. Must admit it's mainly the beer that tempts me ... I hope coloured hats, or hats at all, aren't compulsory  |
17-01-2007, 03:53 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,529
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Hats are not compulsory at Cropredy, Paul, but it does feel like being in the cast of a Slade video! I love it, well worth a visit. Good hats, great bar! Good food stalls. Very well run, cleaned up every morning by local scouts very efficiently. (Take your own loo!) 
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. |
17-01-2007, 04:50 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: N.E.SOMERSET
Posts: 6,815
| | | Re: Snowdrops
The leaves of snowdrops and narcissus are up,crocus in flower but my guage
is my Weeping Birch when it greens up
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17-01-2007, 05:06 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,220
| | | Re: Snowdrops
All around my hat - do you start wearing bright green hats? Quote:
Originally Posted by nightshade The leaves of snowdrops and narcissus are up,crocus in flower but my guage is my Weeping Birch when it greens up | I'm bucking the trend, apart from the non-native snowdrop most of our bulbs seem to be behindhands although the bluebells in the wood look promising.
No sign of leaf on the big trees other than willows. I recall that ash was remarkably early last year .... must go and have a proper survey, promised sun on Friday .... |
18-01-2007, 12:58 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,529
| | | Re: Snowdrops
My ash tree is still quite bare, as is my silver birch. They are both still very beautiful though.
Only wear the green hats when we do gigs in pubs on St Patrick's night Paul! Then I use my green penny whistles too!
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. |
18-01-2007, 11:05 AM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 24
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Quote:
Originally Posted by badgerwatcher I'll go and look for Kew Gardens website, Brachystegia. That sounds like fun. | If anyone else wants to try the ID key then on this page: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Conservation and Wildlife: Cites and Plants - a User's Guide
you can download the CITES Bulb Checklist, it is a pdf file, which has the key. Quote:
Originally Posted by badgerwatcher (Why Brachystegia, by the way? Is it a favourite tree? Or is it a play on Mutsiwa, the one who is left behind?) | No linguistic cleverness I'm afraid, I don't speak Venda and haven't been back to Africa to see the recently discovered relict population in South Africa.
I knew Brachystegia spiciformis from further north as Msasa or Musasa and (as is often the case), now miss something once commonplace and perhaps under-appreciated. |
18-01-2007, 12:16 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,529
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Thanks for the Kew link, Brachystegia.
Have you any pictures of the trees that you could upload?
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. |
18-01-2007, 12:52 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,390
| | | Re: Snowdrops
Quote:
Originally Posted by minime Sure it was meant to snow first
I read that there aren't any snowdrops in Ireland, anyone know if this true? | No, it's not true! Not as common as it is in Britain, but definitely there!
Have a look at the map on the NBN Gateway ( National Biodiversity Network Gateway)
henrya
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