The sap is starting to rise in the trees and flowers this month. Many new leaves will emerge changing our landscape from shades of grey and brown to many shades of green with the odd sprinkle of white blossom from Blackthorn.

A Downland path in March

Lots of things are happening in the countryside this month with fox cubs being born and badger cubs coming above ground for their first time. On warm days many insects will be seen looking for food and many birds will start nest building and singing.

There is a country saying, "March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb". The Vikings said that the month of March woke the alder and gorse blooms. They knew the period, as "Lenct" meaning spring, it was a time of enforced fasting because the winter stores ran low. The Christian church adopted The Viking name "Lenct" and renamed it "Lent".
The cold spell we have been having has helped to dry up many of the wet fields we had at the beginning of February. To protect nesting birds it is not recommended to cut hedgerows or lay them after mid-March. The longer the farmers can leave stubble on the fields the more this will help birds and animals to find the left over seeds that can be found there. It is also good practice not to spray any herbicide or pesticide on field margins or beside hedgerows after mid-March because it kills off many species of insect which can be beneficial to the crops as well as save some of our less common arable plants.

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)

One of the obvious flowers to be seen adorning our hedgerows this month is the white blossom from the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). Traditionally very cold winters that spread into March were known as "Blackthorn Winters".
Another plant in flower this month, but not so common, is the Box "Buxus sempervirens".

Box (Buxus sempervirens)

Box can be found in a few scattered localities on the Downs. This is a small evergreen bush that flowers in March and into April. Both male and female flowers are found on the same plant and come out together to increase the chance of insect pollination. The male flowers are yellow and the female flowers are green. Box can increase in population by seed, runners or by allowing its branches to sag down to the ground and take root, this method is known as "layering". It is rare to see Box grow to maturity where it can become a fine tree of around thirty-five feet in height. However, there are a few examples around, especially on Box Hill in Surrey. The timber has long been sought after because it is a very hard wood and excellent for woodcarving and has been used for making mathematical instruments and chess pieces.

Newt (Triturus vulgaris)

With the warmer weather many creatures warm up and creep out from their hibernation and seek out a mate. One such creature is the Common Newt (Triturus vulgaris). The Common Newt or Smooth Newt as it is otherwise known, is a lizard- like amphibian. They tend to be found in wooded areas beside ponds, and throughout the spring, during the breeding season, like to live in the water. Later in the year they will leave the water and their tadpole offspring and live on the land feeding at night on insects, beetles and slugs. During the day they take shelter under stones and logs avoiding the sun. In the autumn they will go underground to hibernate. They have spread into many gardens nowadays and seem to do doing well. Newts are similar in appearance to lizards but have an amazing clever trick that has saved their life many a time. Newts have the ability to re-grow replacement toes and legs when severed. It is no wonder that newts were added to witches brews as mentioned in Shakspeare's Macbeth. The Smooth Newt has two other relatives in this country and they are the Great Crested Newt and the Palmate Newt. All newts prefer to live in ponds where fish have not been introduced, because the fish eat newt eggs and young larvae. So if you want newts in your pond it is best to avoid keeping goldfish.

Orange Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimgutta)

Another smaller creature that can be seen coming out from hibernation is the Ladybird. There are around forty species of Ladybird to be found in this country. The commonest are red with black spots but some are yellow-orange. One that is orange with 16 white spots is known as the Orange Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimgutta). They can often be found on twigs and branches of ash and blackthorn on some parts of the Downs at this time of the year. All ladybirds are extremely helpful to plants that suffer from aphid infestation because a fully mature ladybird can eat up to fifty aphids a day. Birds avoid eating ladybirds because of the nasty tasting fluid they exude when attacked. If you ever pick up a ladybird be aware they will exude this smelly liquid on your hands and they can give you a nasty little bite if the fancy takes them.

Common Woodlouse (Oniscus asellus)

Woodlice will start to emerge in the evenings as the days warm up. There are number of species to be found in the British Isles. The commonest one is the Common Woodlouse (Oniscus asellus). Woodlice are the only land-living relatives of the aquatic crabs, shrimps and lobsters that we have. They tend to only hunt for food at night because they can easily dry up and die if they are exposed to too much sunlight. They eat dead wood and fallen leaves and sometimes can be found feeding on decaying fruit. They are important in that they help break up waste plant materials, back into viable soil for new plants to grow in.

Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Many birds will be pairing up and nest building this month and many species of bird are territorial, none more than the Robin (Erithacus rubecula). This bird needs little identification, all you need to say is that they have an orange-red breast and anyone will know which bird you are talking about. However, few people realise that the Robin is a member of the Thrush family. They have always been depicted as the gardener's friend and often appear as the friendly bird on Christmas cards but in reality they can be so territorial that they will often fight among themselves to the death. It is only the female that builds the nest and she lays from five to six eggs in a clutch. The male protects the territory and helps with feeding the young.

The clocks will be changing to summertime towards the end of the month and so our days will become much lighter - something to look forward to.