Saturday 19th Feb.2011
Yesterday was a cold dull raw day with the temperature of 1.5 c in the afternoon but it didn't stop us from making a short dash into Littondale, a branch of the larger Wharfedale up in the Yorkshire Dales, it takes about 35 mins. Dales country doesn't look as harsh as the moors we have on our doorstep and with the predominant rock being Limestone the area has a softer look Even though the early winter was the coldest for several years the Snowdrops are out a good week earlier than last year.
A nice drift of Snowdrops at Rylstone (the home of the Calender Girls)
After Rylstone we enter Wharfedale and pass under the imposing Kilnsey Crag. The undercut was caused by the glacier moving down the valley in the last ice age and eroding the cliff away, the undercut being the height of the glacier.
The Snowdrops of Litton Dale around the village of Arncliffe
We counted around 40 they seem to be increasing ever year
Finally I've just looked out of the window and the ducks have arrived they always coincide their arrival with the start of the frog spawning season, this year they are a week earlier than usual.I assume they're the same pair because they stand and wait outside the back door to be fed.
Yesterday was a cold dull raw day with the temperature of 1.5 c in the afternoon but it didn't stop us from making a short dash into Littondale, a branch of the larger Wharfedale up in the Yorkshire Dales, it takes about 35 mins. Dales country doesn't look as harsh as the moors we have on our doorstep and with the predominant rock being Limestone the area has a softer look Even though the early winter was the coldest for several years the Snowdrops are out a good week earlier than last year.
After Rylstone we enter Wharfedale and pass under the imposing Kilnsey Crag. The undercut was caused by the glacier moving down the valley in the last ice age and eroding the cliff away, the undercut being the height of the glacier.
Further down Littondale the Oystercatchers have arrived from the coast for the start of the breeding season
We counted around 40 they seem to be increasing ever year
Finally I've just looked out of the window and the ducks have arrived they always coincide their arrival with the start of the frog spawning season, this year they are a week earlier than usual.I assume they're the same pair because they stand and wait outside the back door to be fed.
I would love a pair of Mallards on my little pond. Those snowdrops are beautiful but I wont accept springs bursting through David as they are most definitely a winter plant ;) honest, mine were covered in snow this morning :)
ReplyDeleteThe snowdrops are spectacular and it's lovely to see them growing in the cemetery amongst all the mossy headstones. Love the pictures of the ducks, David!
ReplyDeleteGreat pics Dave. thats a great display of Snowdrops.
ReplyDeletecheers Colin.
One can never have too many snowdrops on a blog. I've left a note on my blog, re your comment, but repeating it here (without the spelling error)
ReplyDeleteHope you get to the area David, one word of caution, the lanes are very narrow. However as a painter, the Kennet and Avon canal is just 10 miles away - look up Crofton Beam Engine. A painters delight, (and I'd forgotten you were an engineer too)
Hi David, wow... what wonderful drifts of snowdrops. I do like to see them too. Great images of your walk :-D
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't mind, but I added a link to this post on my recent posting. I've been collecting links to snowdrop displays. If you have any other posts, please do add them there too. The more the merrier :-D
Gosh, ducks in your pond... brilliant! Just wondering though. Do they dig up the plants in your borders or do they not bother as long as you feed them?
Hi shirl THe ducks are a mixed blessing, they don't dig up the garden plants but they do mess up the pond by riving all the pondweed out and they also eat thousands of the young tadpoles, so I'm thinking of netting the section of the pond nearest the house where most of the tadpoles stay, they don't nest in the garden but they do nest in the long grass in the field adjacent to our avenue After hatching they bring the young ducklings down to a garden pond about 50 yards from our garden but I always miss them because I'm always away on holiday.
ReplyDelete