Gorse

We see gorse all over the Downs, flowering almost all year round, but it is always in greatest abundance during April. It is now the last few days of the month and it has been chilly, windy and wet for most of the week. I have been so happy though, as we so desperately need the rain. The damp, cool conditions have enriched the scent – and the smell of coconut wafts over me as I walk past. As well as the flowers providing nourishing food for insects and birds such as the Yellowhammer, Stonechat and Dartford Warbler, the intensely sharp spikes protect the little birds sheltering there. The gorse often grows at the foot of immature trees such as oak, ash and alder and so the spikes deter deer and other grazing animals.