Small tortoiseshell on blackthorn

Cherry plum

This is cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera), a small native tree which is one of the earliest to flower.  Cerasifera means bearing cherry-like fruits - it has small edible fruits in August although I haven't tried them.  This is the end of a hedge about 20m from my garden so it provides welcome forage for the bees at this time of year.

Hazel catkins

The common hazel (Corylus avellana) is one of many of our native trees that are wind pollinated.  It is monoecious, meaning that each plant carries male and female flowers, both known as catkins.  It flowers very early and the catkins are out now.  The male catkins, pale primrose yellow and up to 12cm long, are also known as lambs' tails.  I read that bees can collect the pollen but only with difficulty and in small amounts - because it is carried by the wind the pollen is not sticky.

The female catkins are tiny and mostly concealed within the buds that will form the hazelnuts. Only the red styles protrude.

This shows the male and female catkins together.  The female flowers have to be fertilised by pollen from other trees. 

Spindle

Euonymus europea, the native spindle tree.  I planted one in my wood 20 odd years ago.  Although it is now about 5m tall it has never flowered.  These fruits are hanging over the fence from my neighbours' garden and add a dash of colour to December.  They are poisonous but baked and powdered they were used to treat headlice in children and mange in cattle.  I wonder if it worked?