What to look for in Apri184

In April plants and animals alike profit from longer days and warmer temperatures. In woodlands bluebells, wild garlic and early purple orchids flower before the leaf canopy develops. In meadows and hedgerows, snake's head fritillaries, cowslips, pasque flowers and lady's smock may be found. Gorse is in full flower on heaths and clifftops, scenting the air with coconut and attracting insects to feed and birds to nest in safety. Migrant birds brighten the scene, as warblers, cuckoos, swallows, ospreys and nightingales arrive from their winter quarters and the males sing to attract mates and stake out breeding territories. In Scotland black grouse and capercaillie are lekking in the Caledonian pinewoods and glens. Reptiles emerge from hibernation, and adders can be seen sunning themselves on heathland, while bees, butterflies, dragonflies and other insects emerge from their larval state. Water voles are active in streams and watermeadows, feeding on the lush spring vegetation, while predators such as otters, foxes and badgers time their breeding season to coincide with the abundant food supply as spring advances.