Magical meadows

However, it is a month of change in the world of nature and these changes are both exciting and short-lived and should therefore be grasped with enthusiasm by all.

Many spring flowers will have been in bloom for some weeks but will now be joined by colourful harbingers of sunny days to come, none perhaps more welcome than early-purple orchid.

Less welcome, should you get your nose close enough, is the smell of this elegant beauty - a stink that has been compared to a somewhat rancid tom-cat.

Common throughout much of Britain it can be found in woodland, meadows, roadside verges and scrubby areas and the BBOWT reserves at Foxholes, Westwell Gorse, Sydlings Copse, Upper Ray Meadows, Asham Meads, Oxey Meads and Woodside Meadow all boast good spring displays.

Less extravagant but nonetheless an interesting, if overlooked, plant is moschatel, or town hall clock. This delicate and shade-loving little perennial is significant in that it is the only European species within its genus and you can find it growing in the moister soils at Sydlings Copse and Rushbed Woods.

Star of Bethlehem is a well-named, naturalised bulbous perennial that displays startling, five-petalled white flowers with yellow anthers. Growing largely in grassy areas it can be found at the Glyme Farm Reserve (BBOWT) west of Charlbury in the Oxfordshire Cotswold Hills.

Relatively common throughout the county and often forming quite extensive colonies in damper meadows, woodland rides and hedgerows as well as pond, marsh and bog margins, is the cuckooflower (or lady's smock). Bearing lilac-pink pretty flowers it is an early source of nectar for many bee-fly and hoverfly species.

A more dramatic client of the aforementioned flowering plant, however, is the orange-tip butterfly. Although it will also use other suitable plant species this common but most attractive insect favours the cuckooflower above others - where it will lay (generally) a single egg at the base of each flower head.

The larvae go on to feed on the developing seeds within the flower. Once in pupae form the creature survives the following winter months in the vegetation close to the food-plant - emerging as adult butterflies the next spring.

Both species thrive pretty well in a number of BBOWT reserves, including Blenheim Farm, Glyme Valley, The Slade, Bernwood Meadows, Chimney Meadows, Asham Meads, Iffley Meadows. Oxey Mead, Wells Farm, Woodside Meadow, Sydlings Copse and the CS Lewis Reserve, as well as a host of other sites around the county.

Other butterflies are also on the wing by April with brimstone being likely anywhere that buckthorn and alder blackthorn is sufficiently well established. The males are particularly easy to identify by their sulphurous-yellow, leave-shaped wings that mark it out from anything else in flight. Folklore has it that it is the butter-colour' of the male's wings that led to all butterflies being called such. The females, on the other hand, have very pale green wings but also entertain with their almost artificial flight pattern.

The green hairstreak is altogether much less common but present at a number of Oxfordshire sites, including Ardley Quarry. This species always folds it wings upon rest whereby it demonstrates the reasoning behind its name. Bordered by a russety-brown outer edge, the under-wings are lichen-green with a line of most delicate white streaking - as if an artist had gingerly applied a fine brush stroke to the canvas.

Similarly uncommon but reasonably well distributed across our county, mainly where grazed, chalk downland exists, is the grizzled skipper. This species is a strong and fast flier and difficult to identify conclusively in flight unless some expertise can be called upon. However, once settled, its black wings, chequered with white, mark it out from all other butterfly species. Look for it also at Bernwood Meadows and Ardley Quarry.

Another early-flying butterfly species is the comma that can be found across open woodland or woodland edges in all parts of Oxfordshire from early April. This species is double-brooded and adults hibernate on tree branches and trunks before becoming active once more in the spring months. The Comma suffered a dramatic decline in numbers and range during the 20th century but happily has now staged a strong revival in its fortunes. It can be easily recognised by what appears to be carefully torn edges to its warm orange wings decorated with brownish markings of various hues.

April is also the key month for birders checking out spring-passage migrants as they venture through, or stop to rest at a number of key sites around the county and country. High ground, such as the Oxfordshire Downlands, is always a good spot for those with good binocular vision and the ability to identify species that are often flying high and at speed.

A better bet might be the RSPB reserve at Otmoor that is once again reclaiming its importance as a pit stop for such avian migrants.

Waders are amongst the most prominent and important passage birds that use this fine, wild site and you might hope to see black-tailed godwit, ruff and dunlin with luck and dedication applied.

Of the smaller birds, wheatear and whinchat will be worth looking out for.

At the other end of the size-scale there is always the chance of an osprey stopping off, on its journey north, to fish the larger ponds - as indeed may be the case at Farmoor Reservoir. As these magnificent raptors re-establish traditional territories we might expect to see them eventually breeding in Oxfordshire - although this may yet be some decades off.

If less dedicated birdwatching is required then get out into the woods where there will still be plenty of sunlight filtering through the new canopy growth and birds will be easier to see and hear.

Even common woodland species can bring a special delight and both nuthatch and treecreeper will serve this cause well and can be found in most stands of deciduous woods throughout the area, both in the countryside at large or in otherwise developed areas.

In the fields skylarks will be singing their little hearts out, high in the heavens, and bullfinch will be bulleting in and out of thick hedgerow cover.

Wherever you choose to wander and whatever the weather, April in Oxfordshire may have more surprises in store than any other month in the year.

Many of the reserves mentioned are owned and/or managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT). Full details of all BBOWT reserves and membership can be found on the trust's website: www.bbowt.org.uk