The Woodland Trust is urging the public to record ‘spring’s three vital signs’ in order to ‘check the health of nature’.
The Trust would like to know whether you’ve spotted frogspawn, a singing song thrush or flowering blackthorn. These records are crucial to help the trust understand current threats and how climate change is affecting the health of nature:
- Frogspawn – first seem
When to spot: January to April
Look for frog mating activity in ponds, ditches or slow-moving streams. The small black eggs are encased in a clear jelly and laid in clusters. - Song thrush – first heard
When to listen: from early January
Slightly smaller than a blackbird with a dark-spotted underside and pale brown wings and back. The song thrush was once a common sight in UK woodland but is sadly in decline. Its song is varied, so listen out for short, repeated phrases. - Blackthorn – first flowering
When to spot: mid-January to mid-April
Early to flower in spring, blackthorn trees have clouds of snow-white, almond-scented blossom which grows more fragrant on sunny days. Record blackthorn’s first flowering when the petals of the first flower are open sufficiently for you to see inside the flower.
The Trust reports that climate change has already accelerated spring’s arrival by an average of 8.4 days compared to the early 1900s, and is keen find out if the signs of spring are changing too.
Visit the Woodland Trust website to submit your records before 31 March 2025 to contribute to the survey.
Picture Caption: A singing song thrush heralds the arrival of spring
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