I referred to the "Snowdrop spinney" near Hitchin a few weeks ago [entry dated 19th. January]. I noted that the ruin of an ancient cottage once stood there. I speculated the Snowdrops may be a remnant of the cottage garden. They grow along the banks of the adjacent stream from that point onwards. The stream feeds into a marshy woodland about half a mile away which has carpets of Snowdrops as seen above. 

  I observed the Snowdrops in the spinney are Galanthus nivalis f. pleniflorous. This is the uncommon double flowered form of the Common Snowdrop, sometimes a feature of old gardens. I wondered if it's doubles downstream which would strengthen my theory that the spinney is the source of the colony. I went to the woodland and sure enough they are...

 

 As noted previously Helleborus foetidus self-seeds freely in the borders at the music school and throughout the grounds. I imagine they have increased from a few planted back in the day. Then again they may have already been present in the woodland fringes when the original house was built.

 H. foetidus is a native and grows wild in the UK. It is also a popular garden plant cultivated by the horticultural trade. So sightings of Stinking Hellebore may be wild or a garden escape or even a cross pollination of both!

 

 January is not a flowery time of the year although there is plenty of (ever)greenery. Nonetheless Hellebores are in full flower, notably our native Stinking Hellebore (Helleborous foetidus). In southern climes the foliage is pretty much evergreen and the green flowers luminous in bloom.

 NB Here is a mystery. The example seen above is in the rock garden at the music school. Indeed H. foetidus self-seeds prolifically all over the grounds and through the beds. Barely twenty metres away there was a lovely glade of them by the woodland walk, fifteen or so healthy specimens. All gone! 

 I did a double take when I walked past the spot today. No sign of disturbance, it's hard to imagine anyone would have dug them up and made off with them. No reason to think they wouldn't have overwintered, everywhere else in the vicinity they are going great guns. The species is classified as a short lived perennial but renews itself readily from copious seed production. If the older plants died off I would expect to see seedlings and younger plants round and about but no.

 Deer enter the grounds and munch certain plants but Hellebores are generally reckoned to deer proof as they contain toxins which make them unpalatable to mammals. In fact the Stinking Hellebore doesn't stink but it does release an odour when the foliage is crushed. It's tough as old boots so slugs and snails are not a problem. 

 Moreover the seeds have an appendage which is an elaisome i.e. an oil body that attracts and is eaten by snails. Thereby some of the seeds get stuck to the slimy body of the snail and dispersed in the locality. Hopefully this disappearance will be temporary.

 Snowdrops are coming into flower several weeks earlier than "usual". Likewise Winter Aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) are starting to appear. There is a fine patch of them on the lane near the Snowdrop spinney. I wouldn't expect to see Winter Aconites until late January/early February most years. 

 

 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.        

 Wintersweet lives up to its name. This straggly/bushy shrub bears sweet-scented flowers in winter. Chimonanthus praecox hails from China; the RHS rates it as H5 "hardy in most places throughout the UK, even in severe winters (-15 to -10)". Often grown against a wall receiving full sun.

 I was working in the vicinity of Wintersweet earlier today, a long established specimen with many flowers on many stems. The air was suffused with its heady fragrance.

 In the leaf litter plants are stirring.