Rampant Scotland

Scotland in Colour Week By Week

April - Week 3

"Scotland Week by Week" contains a selection of flowers, animals and scenery typical of the time of year. The photographs were previously part of a regular "Colour Supplement" which ran for nearly four years as part of the original Scottish Snippets newsletter. While seasons do vary, this collection gives a good idea of the flora and fauna typical of central Scotland at each time of year.

There are apparently a number of varieties of golden yellow magnolias - but this was the first time that I had seen one.

Catkins

Another sign of spring is the appearance of Catkins on a variety of trees. These large ones are on a willow tree, growing beside a burn in the Colzium Estate. Despite taking care to avoid it, I ended up with yellow pollen clinging to my jacket after taking its photo!

Sycamore

At last the Sycamore leaves are beginning to burst out of their buds. The new Sycamore leaves always look so fresh and bright at this stage.

Corylopsis

Last week, there was a picture of Corylopsis in Geilston Garden between Cardross and Helensburgh in Argyll. This is another variety of Corylopsis, with even more striking, pendant flowers.It was photographed in Colzium Estate in North Lanarkshire.

Here is just one example from the many rhododendrons growing at Glendoick - a large golden yellow variety.

An unusual variety of Camellia at Glendoick was this "candy striped" Camellia.

The Pasque Flower gets its name from Easter (Passover) as it flowers about that time of the year. It is more often referred to here as the Anemone Pulsatilla. In some parts of the world it is also known as the Prairie Crocus - it is the official state flower of South Dakota and the provincial flower of Manitoba.


There is nothing more evocative of spring and the promise of a new beginning than newborn lambs. This one, at Ardardan Estate near Helensburgh in Argyll, was enjoying the sunshine and a rest in a covered area of the farm where the newly born lambs can shelter from the weather.


Star Magnolia, or Magnolia Stellata, is a very slow growing perennial tree with large showy white or pink flowers in early spring before the appearance of the leaves. The star-shaped, slightly fragrant 7–10 cm (3–4 in) flowers cover the branches in early spring.


Some ornithologists in the UK have never seen a Water Rail. This is not just because there are fewer than 1,000 resident breeding pairs in Britain, but because the bird is extremely shy and secretive, keeping to dense reed beds and marshes with thick cover. Bird watchers are more likely to hear than see this bird - it has a distinctive squealing shriek which sounds like a piglet! Amazingly, this one was visible from one of the hides at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) wild life reserve at Vane Farm, Loch Leven, near Kinross.

If you want to look back at other editions of these photos of Scotland week by week, there is an Index Page





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