Spring in West Bay

Published by Editor on March 22, 2021March 22, 2021

The first day of Spring was officially Saturday 20th March 2021.Spring is the best time to spot birds building nests, daffodils and celandines emerging and bees buzzing. Here are some of the signs of Spring we have noticed around West Bay.

Two lonely clumps of daffodils with a magnificent view, we wonder how they got here!

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) the flowers always appear before the leaves, spotted along the old railway line.

Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna) it is a member buttercup family. Look out for their friendly yellow flowers on path edges.

Hazel (Corylus avellana) along the riverbank at West Bay. The long dangling flowers resemble kitten’s tails and are called catkins. They are made up of around 240 individual flowers.

Common gorse (Ulex europaeus) From early spring, yellow pea-like flowers develop in clusters on the ends of its branches becoming hairy black seed pods by late summer. A typical shrub produces about 8000 seeds annually. It’s not surprising that it has covered part of this cliff so densely at Eype.

A welcome sight as you enter West Bay. These daffodils were planted many years ago by West Bay Community Forum – WBCF.

The birds are busy building nests, one rook is already sitting on it’s nest.

Primrose (Primula vulgaris) are one of the first woodland blooms and an important nectar source for butterflies. They are many in West Bay along the footpaths up to Eype Church.