LOOSE AND LEAFY in DORSET: BLOSSOM

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

A BLAST OF BLOSSOM

First, an apology. You know how I was saying how useful thorns are in distinguishing hawthorn and blackthorn before their leaves or blossom appear? You know how I have to emphasise that I am an amateur and that I do my best but mistakes are bound to come in from time to time? Do you remember that massive thorn on the blackthorn post? And me saying 'Look at this impressive blackthorn thorn'?

Later than the other trees and bushes nearby . . . instead of blackthorn flowers, hawthorn leaves are now appearing along it.

So . . . I'm withdrawing that post for re-writing and will soon produce an update.

Meanwhile . . .

I've been busy over the Easter holidays. By the time I went out yesterday, the hedgerows had been transformed. Continuity lurches when you have gaps in seeing at this time of year. Blackthorn flowers are almost all either over or getting tatty. Hawthorn trees are not only leafy, their flower buds are swelling.

I'm hurtling along and come across a blast of white blossom. I can't stop to examine it. I'm meeting a friend and I'm late. It could be blackthorn, it could be early damson. (There are damson trees not far away.) They could be daffodils for all that you should trust me when it comes to identification.

There are moments when I think I shouldn't be let loose on the internet. There are others when I'm glad I'm here. Yesterday, while photographing the beginnings of new ivy shoots, a woman stopped to ask what I was doing. We had quite a long conversation. She hadn't noticed the ivy - not in a noticing way. She'd never seen the flowers. She'd not been aware of the berries. It was exciting to talk to her. I think she was excited too by the prospect of seeing them later in the year.

I mentioned too, how for people in other parts of the world, plants which for us are very ordinary are simply unknown and, therefore, interesting. Discovering this, becoming properly aware of this (because after all one knows it in theory) is one of the excitements of blogging. (I don't think I'm over using the word 'excitement'. Noticing plants may not give the adrenaline thrill of winning the lottery but I really do find it exciting - noticing plants 'for myself' for being shown something isn't quite the same. Being the first to go into a pyramid simply must have been different from going on a guided tour.)

But meeting her reawakened me to how many things we pass without noticing - and what wonderful fun it is to find there are treasure troves of detail on our doorsteps.

Not that anyone could have missed this blossom.