Bud Burst

Hooray! The wintery weather is on its way out at last! Now it's time to get those funky wellies on and bounce outside to look for signs of spring. Let's go bud hunting! By Sara Bellis

Roots have been growing, buds swelling and seeds sprouting; all waiting for the weather to get just right, then... BOING! PING! BOUNCE! Spring has arrived! Head outside and take a closer look for yourself.

Tails? On a tree? 

If you're lucky enough to have a hazel tree growing nearby, look out for the yellow dangling catkins, also know as 'lamb's tails'. The yellow dust on these catkins is pollen, ready to blow away on the slightest gust of wind.

Now, get even closer to the hazel branches. Can you see any tiny red flowers? Good spot! These are called (scary science word warning) stigma. They are very sticky, designed to catch the yellow pollen and turn it into hazel seeds or, as we know them, hazel nuts! Yum!

Hazelnuts are a favourite food of some of animals like red squirrel, nuthatch and woodpecker. Dormice are particularly fond of them and chew circular holes in thir shells that are easy to recognise.

You'll have to wait until Autumn to see any though - the hazel trees have a lot of growing to do before then. In the meantime, look for the pointy ends of the leaves and the many-spindled stems in place of a trunk to recognise the hazel tree.

Alright, but what about scales? 

Catkins aren't the only things to be bursting out this springtime. Look out for another amazing thing that happens all of a sudden - bud burst! You can't miss it. One minute, trees and hedges look brown and dead, the next day, they burst into life. But what's going on? How does this happen so quickly?

Well, new leaves have been growing all winter, protected from the wind and snow by special, tough cases. These are called 'bud scales'. As the weather gets warmer and the trees start to drink more water, these buds start to swell until - PING! - they become too big for their buds and burst on through into the daylight. Leaves soon spread out into a thick canopy, soaking up the new spring sunshine.

Become a bud detective

Why not choose a tree such as an oak or hawthorn and take a daily picture of buds as they swell and then burst. It'll look amazing as a display on your wall. Enter the date of your bud burst on here too and let's compare results.

This is just a start. There is so much to see in early spring. To find out more, have a look at these websites:

www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch or www.naturedetectives.org.uk

You can also find out more about the signs of spring with Nick Baker as he describes the sights and sounds of the season.

Credits: Hazel catkins by Philip Precey / Horse chestnut canopy by Carl Vella