Often as not my first wildflower walk of the year is to a small spinney near Hitchin to see if the Snowdrops are out. It's a bit early but they are already coming into flower in my garden in London [as seen in Wednesday's entry]. And sure enough the mottled browns of the spinney were glinting with clusters of white.
When I was a child the ruins of a cottage could still be seen among the trees. My theory is that the Snowdrops were planted here in the cottage garden and have spread. The Common Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) may be native to this island but is more likely an ancient introduction. Some say the Romans as it grows wild in Southern Europe. Some say the Normans planted them around their monasteries as a symbol of Candlemass.
We'll never know for sure but it does seem that G. nivalis proliferates where there has been human habitation. A chalk stream runs beside the spinney and Snowdrops follow the banks from this point onwards. It flows into an area of wet woodland and marshy meadow carpeted with Snowdrops. I speculate that the waters carried seeds and/or bulbs from the cottage naturalising extensively.
Today I noticed something that has never struck me before (though it should have done). Examining the flower heads of several clumps I realised they are the double flowered form Galanthus nivalis f. pleniflorus. This is a naturally occurring variation of the Common Snowdrop but not common.
I have only come across it as a planting in old gardens which correlates to my idea that this colony was first established in connection with the cottage. What I need to do now is check out the massed Snowdrops downstream and see if they are doubles too.
NB I have read that f. pleniflorus produces viable pollen but does not set seed. Certainly the pollen is clearly visible in this photo. Reportedly the pollen needs to cross with the single form to bear the seed. That may or may not be a factor here.
