I blog about nature in the Norfolk countryside and about my wildlife garden. My blog blends digital photos with an analogue nature journal.
Nature journalling blends nature observation and citizen science with a written diariy or art journal to build a deeper connection with nature and cultivate curiosity, creativity and flow.
A non-native, winter-flowering, evergreen perennial.
Large, leathery dark green leaves.
Large single white flowers with a mass of golden anthers.
Wildlife gardening value - H. niger will attract pollinating insects. Ours are planted alongside fragrant Sarcococca.
The sight of this little harbinger of spring is always so uplifting after the ten longest, darkest weeks surrounding the winter solstice. John spotted the first in flower on the 26th when walking Rosa and the cluster under the Sweet Chestnut is well in bloom in the sunshine today.
Likely first introduced to gardens in the 1500s, they had naturalised by the 1770s, and were then further spread by soldiers returning from the Crimean War.
Their long history means they hold a deep enduring place in our psyche symbolising both death and renewal in our folklore, in particular through their association with the return of Perserhone from Hades.
A very cold start to 2026 led to some amazing skies and light snowfall, soon followed by Storm Goretti who brought snow in E. of the British Isles but only sleet and rain here. some very low night time temperatures...
A very cold snap from 4th to 6th January brought a lot of visitor birds into the garden foraging for food, including this song thrush on 5th that I watched work his way along the hedgerow.
On 6th I had my best ever sighting of a male Bullfirich who perched on the hedgrow for some time, occasionally taking a blackberry or ivy fruit or seeds. Overnight on 5th we recorded -8.7°c ! That's the coldest temperature since we first got the weather station in December 2020.
On the 3rd a sunny start to the month led to some lovely sightings of a pair of Robins at the bird bath.
13.12.25
The earliest sunset of the year happens quite a few days before the winter solstice, which occurs on 21st December. This is because the moming sunrise continues to draw in even after the evening sunsets start to get later again. On 13th daylength is 7:40:29 and on 21st it is 7:36:42. By the 31st over a minute is gained each day and daylength is 7:42:18 (+1:03) as the latest sunrise is 29th/30th. Source: timeanddate.com
The definition of "Solstice" comes from sol for sun (latin) and sistere meaning to stand still.
It is the moment the sup appears to stand still, directly above the tropic of Capricorn, the most southerly latitude it reaches each year. This is because the earth is titted by 23.5° on its axis. Solstice dates vary because it does not take an exact year to revolve around the sun but c. 365.24 days. It slips by c. 6 hours each year then reverts after corrective leap years. Orbit variations and a wobble on its axis caused by its rotation also impact the precise timing of solstice.