The Charlton Down Nature Area does not look its best at this time of year. The trees are bare. Dry stalks of vegetation and dead leaves cover the ground providing essential cold-weather shelter for insect life. There are a few peripheral evergreen trees like Scots Pine and Holly but not a lot of colour apart from the various greens of grasses, sedges, mosses and ivy. No bright berries left either this year as they were all eaten already by autumn.
We would like to see more winter colour in the Nature Area: leaves, flowers, and berries. We have made a start by planting small Holly, Guelder Rose, Dogwood, and Buckthorn saplings to augment the other 28 types of shrub and tree established there. Perhaps we could also introduce Gorse which is flowering profusely at the moment elsewhere in the county. We would need to control its spread though. Bees and other insects would certainly appreciate the extra winter food source it yellow blooms would supply. Maybe Butcher’s Broom would like our location and provide more winter berries for birds.
Despite the overall impression that all the plants are dormant or dead, new life is definitely in evidence even now at the beginning of January. New leaves of Celandine, Cow Parsley and Nettle are emerging between the clumps of flattened grasses. No sign yet of any of the British native plants that the volunteers sowed in autumn. We are hoping that at least some of the Wild Carrot, Red Campion, Willowherb, and other seeds will germinate and grow. We can always sow again in spring if not. The donated Primrose, Foxglove, Teasel, Mullein and Pendulous Sedge plants seem to be surviving well. Lets see how everything fares over the predicted cold spell of the next couple of days.
Jessica's Nature Blog 
Even if it looks a bit dismal at the moment, the area is full of life awaiting spring. The same here: first green tips of Loddon lilies have shown the other day; common daisies have produced a few flowers in the middle of this mild winter; it is time for our snowdrops now. 🌱🤍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, new life, new generations, are beginning to show. We had daisies flowering in the sharp frost the other day. And it will not be long before the celandines start to flower. Your comment reminds me that we should plant spring bulbs in our Nature Area. Native snowdrops would be good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I look forward to seeing them flowering next year; they’ll give the area a friendly touch—a remedy against the winter blues. By the way, we had a few snowflakes this morning which soon turned into raindrops.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, snowdrops are amongst the first flowers. We have been having some heavy frosts over the last couple of days. They have made the Nature Area and all the dead vegetation look magical. But today, in spite of a forecast of snow, it is pouring with rain and very windy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I smiled (or did I frown) to read that you are planting Buckthorn. We are trying to get rid of ours; it’s very invasive here. I like your frosted leaves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, Purging Buckthorn is invasive in the US and Canada but a native here in the UK. Even so, we would have to keep an eye on it so that it didn’t spread in our small Nature Area. It is the same with the Blackthorn which seems to spread by runners. We had to cut some of those back last autumn.
LikeLiked by 1 person