Make a new buddy

Notice a bud and watch it transform

I wasn’t sure what to write about this week, so I figured I’d just see what caught my eye on my dog walk yesterday morning. This bud, found lying on the path in front of me, gave me the inspiration for today’s prompt…

It’s a sycamore bud. Isn’t it a stunner?

After inspecting this bud for a while, I started looking in more detail at all the buds I could find around me… neat and compact buds on cherry trees next to unfurled leaves, white flowers beginning to spill from their wild garlic buds, dandelion buds concealing their golden insides… Each bud is unique, hiding secrets soon to be shared.

So my task for you this week is to notice a bud near you - the bud could be on a tree or a plant/flower. Make a note of exactly where it is (maybe you could draw the location or save it on What3Words) and then visit it again on a regular basis to see how it transforms. Daily if you can!

I’m always encouraging people to look more closely at things, but to visit the same thing time and time again, to really look and see how it grows and develops can be a really useful learning tool.

Here are a few more prompts you can use when viewing your bud… especially if you’re going to track it in your nature journal.

• What colour is the bud today? (You can then track this and notice if the colours change over time)

• What shape is the bud?

• Can you figure out what the bud belongs to and what will emerge? Is it a vegetative bud (produces leaves and shoots), a flower bud (produces a flower), or a mixed bud (produces both shoots and flowers)?

• Is the bud a terminal bud (occuring on the end of the stem) or an lateral bud (occuring along the edge of the stem)?

• What does the bud remind you of?

• What else do you notice about the bud?

• Do you have any questions about the bud you’d like to answer?

Did you know that when dandelion buds are younger, smaller and close to the ground you can pick them, pickle them and use them like capers?

---

Sources and further reading

Botany basics: plant buds

UK Wildcrafts: WINTER TREE IDENTIFICATION- The winter clues of 11 common deciduous trees (video)

Tree Guide UK: Tree identification by buds

---

Join in with the chat

I’d love to hear about/see some of the things you noticed in nature in your part of the world this March. Share in the chat thread if you can!

Jo Wimpenny

shared this gorgeous pasqueflower she found at a local nature reserve. Jo’s newsletter, The Nature of Animals is always a fascinating read.

What have you noticed in nature in your local area over the past month?

---

You might also like…