2025 01 Spring with bleed - Flipbook - Page 60
A Year of Nature on a North Devon Farmstead
with Pippa Elkins
I often sit and take my coffee in our garden, and spend
time watching the abundance of wildlife that also calls
Venn Farm home. We are nestled high with
breathtaking views over Dartmoor and Exmoor and our
farmstead is a haven for wildlife and a delight for
anyone who enjoys the beautiful English countryside.
Spring Awakening
Spring is a magical time at here.
The snowdrops fade, making way
for a carpet of bluebells. The
orchard bursts into a riot of
delicate pink blossoms, and the
woodland and hedgerows come
alive with catkins, fritillaries,
primroses and bluebells. The
scent of wild garlic wafts through the garden, and tadpoles wriggle in
the pond. Our fields turn golden with dandelions, providing the much
needed early nectar for our pollinators. The blackthorn blossoms
promise a bounty of sloes later in the year. Under the fruit trees, the
cuckoo flowers show themselves, so called because they arrive with the
cuckoos. "Will I be lucky enough to hear one this year?" I ask myself,
but I know I will hear the first chiffchaff.
Summer Splendour
Summer brings a symphony of life. The
cuckoos and fieldfares have departed and now
swifts and swallows are darting over the pond,
feasting on dragonflies. Hares and leverets
frolic among the dandelions, while the pond
attracts a myriad of insects, drawing in 11
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