After a short blog break, I decided to return here with a blog post dedicated to the wood anemone. While not among the spring blossoms people normally impatiently await, I find them quite charming. The woods near our home get completely transformed at the beginning of April. The wood anemone carpet the forest in white and green, creating a magical atmosphere.
Unfortunately, this year it looked a bit patchy rather than covering the entire meadow like the previous years. Nonetheless, you can find more than a few areas sprinkled with wood anemone. With their delicate droopy heads in search of the sun, a few weeks ago we found them in full bloom. Around them, you’ll often find fallen trees or branches, a landscape that looks wild. Unlike these gentle first signs of spring.
Normally, you’ll find them in shaded woods, where they soak up the dappled sun coming through the trees. And the most fascinating fact about wood anemone is that they’re the best indicators of ancient woodland! Notably, because they spread very slowly, as little as six feet (~180cm) per century. Knowing that you might be standing in a rare and ancient habitat just makes them even more enchanting!
Considering the drastic situation the world finds itself in, it’s clear that this spring will look much different. It won’t include short car trips to specific woods in Belgium, like before. No bluebells or wild garlic woods but instead, everything we can find from walking distance. And luckily enough, we found plenty of spring blossoms!
First up, the wood anemone announcing spring is here, after which came cherry and apple blossoms. At the same time arrived both the charming forget-me-not flowers and subsequently, the dandelions. Our neighborhood is bursting with greenery and fluffy pink trees. I find myself inspired by them all and can’t wait to share more of them in the upcoming blog posts!
