Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

Fieldfare - photo courtesy of Chris Comersall

Wild daffodils - photo courtesy of Ross Hoddinott

The yellow trumpets of daffodils brighten up the dullest spring day as they cluster together in gardens, on roadsides and in parks during March and April. But these are often the planted or escaped garden varieties. A real treat is spotting a wild daffodil among the dappled shade of an ancient woodland or pushing up through the grasses of a damp meadow. During early Spring, swathes of wild daffodils (Narcissus pseadonarcissus) spread their yellow blaze through meadows, woodland and field margins. They reach their greatest concentrations on the Herefordshire/ Gloucestershire border around Newent, Dymock and Ledbury; ‘the wild daffodil centre of England’. But the wild daffodil is also patchily distributed throughout Herefordshire. You can see them at our Lea & Paget’s Wood and Wessington Pasture Nature Reserves on the Woolhope Dome.

The wild daffodil, with a delicacy and freshness that garden varieties don’t possess, has a distinctive golden yellow trumpet surrounded by a paler outer whorl of six segments. The Wild

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust Events in March

Wild daffodils - Lea & Pagets Wood April 2016

daffodil is also relatively short and forms clumps, carpeting the ground.

Once one of the most widespread and common of wildflowers, until the mid-nineteenth century, they then slipped into a rapid decline across central and eastern England due to loss of habitats. Originally a woodland plant, they have persisted on cleared and damp sites or spread from there into old improved grassland. It can be seen in parts of south Devon, the Black Mountains in Wales, the Lake District in Cumbria, and along the GloucestershireHerefordshire border.

Nowhere is the wild daffodil, or Lent lily, more popular or better known than in the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Newent, Dymock and Ledbury on the Gloucestershire-Herefordshire border. In the 1930s, the Great Western railway ran ‘Daffodil Specials’ from London for tourists to walk amongst the golden throngs and buy bunches at farm gates. The ‘Daffodil Line’ to Dymock was closed in 1959, but the flowers are still celebrated at Daffodil Weekends in and around the Golden Triangle in March.

49 Event: Botanical Watercolour with Helen Haywood Date: Saturday 7th March Time: 10.30am to 4pm Venue: The Jubilee Building, Queenswood Country Park & Arboretum, Dinmore Hill, Nr Leominster, Herefordshire, HR6 0PY Cost: £55 Details: A workshop with the wonderful botanical artist Helen Haywood. Helen has exhibited at the Kew Gardens Gallery and her work was included in A New Flowering: 1000 Years of Botanical Art exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum. Now living in Herefordshire, in 2017 she had a solo show at Studio 54 Gallery in Kington: The Art of Helen Haywood

Event: Members’ Evening Date: Tuesday 10th March Time: 6.30pm – 8.30 pm Venue: Jubilee Building, Queenswood Country Park & Arboretum, Dinmore Hill, Nr Leominster, Herefordshire, HR6 0PY Details: All Herefordshire Wildlife Trust members are welcome. The event is ideal for those who have joined recently. It's a great introduction to the Trust, understanding our aims and ambitions as well as an update on our current work and projects. This is one of seven exclusive members-only events running this year – join today so as not to miss out!

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