Red Lungwort

I discovered Red Lungwort (Pulmonaria rubra) growing in Woodburn wood at Stobswood in 1982. A garden escape but by 1988 it was well established in the south east corner of the wood long before the large pine plantation on the opposite side of the road was planted. It took me a number of years to identify this plant as there was no reference to it in the books I had at the time. Now it is confined to one clump due to a footpath being established between Widdrington and Stobswood and a large area to the entrance of the wood being covered over with bark chippings. It is now under threat from another garden escape as Lesser Periwinkle is becoming dominant in this corner of the wood.

A walk over the Stobswood opencast from Ulgham gave me my first sighting of Coltsfoot this year in a sheltered ditch. No spring birds but I counted a total of 758 Pink footed Geese at East Stobswood. Around Morpeth there was a flock of 60 Linnets at Molesden and 45 Fieldfares at Mitford steads.