One of the great spectacles in the English countryside is the “mad” March hare. If you’re lucky you might spot two hares in a field when they suddenly box each other with fast-moving, flailing forepaws. Although this was long believed to be the sight of rival males fighting for females, we now know it’s actually female hares confronting males and fending them off. There’s a lot of folklore surrounding the hare, another legend being that they’re capable of unexpectedly “vanishing into thin air”. This illusion is because they have a cunning ability to flatten themselves so low to the ground that we can no longer see them.
This month, every day bring new hints of spring and when the sun comes out, the air hums with flower bees looking for nectar. In the woodlands, violets and wood anemones appear with the first butterflies, such as commas and peacocks, and an adder might slowly emerge from its underground lair.
This month we can enjoy wild garlic, nettle tips, parsnips, leeks, coriander and parsley
The main event this month is the spring equinox. The word means “equal night”. At 21:17 on 20 March we can mark the exact moment by lighting a candle, symbolising the light lengthening from pole to pole.
In the garden this month we can enjoy wild garlic, nettle tips, parsnips, leeks, coriander and parsley. If you are feeling productive, this is a good time to sow (indoors) your aubergines, peppers, chilies and cucumbers. Outside, you can sow lettuce, peas and spinach but keep them covered and protected from any lingering wintry spells.
Time moves like a relentless wheel, but as this month arrives with equal light and new constellations of different-coloured wildflowers in the woodlands, we can happily proclaim that spring is finally here!
Positive Ecological Restoration Stories
Howling wolf comeback
The wolf was once widespread across the French countryside, but by the nineteenth century it had been reduced by half and disappeared entirely in 1937. Today, with the help of ecologists, the wolf population is about to exceed one thousand. “The wolf can arrive in any part of the country overnight. It is capable of adapting everywhere,” explains Julien Steinmetz, monitoring coordinator at OFB Occitanie. Last year they recorded the first births in the Occitaine region and, crucially, that cubs are now born where the wolf pack has a permanent residence.
Buzz lines for bees
One in three bees, butterflies and hoverflies are disappearing. The European Commission has started an ambitious new project called the “New Deal for Pollinators” which aims to tackle this problem by creating a network of diverse ecological corridors across the EU. The Commission describes pollinator loss as one of the biggest threats to human wellbeing and food security. “Small things can drive big changes in our world. In the case of pollinators, these small insects will define the future of nature and long-term food security,” says Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries. “We need immediate, targeted actions to save pollinators because they are invaluable for our ecosystems, societies and economies.” The programme is now monitoring pollinators across the 27 member states, working with countries to prepare large ecological corridors, called “buzz lines”.
A fair wind
In Finland, the wind has been a lifesaver during the current energy crisis. “Wind power is now increasing our country’s energy self-sufficiency at a really good pace – just when new and affordable electricity production is most needed,” says Anni Mikkonen, CEO of the Finnish Wind Power Association (FWPA). Renewable energy investments are now surging across Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland’s wind power has added 2,430 megawatts of capacity – one megawatt can power a thousand homes, so it translates as giving power to 2.4 million households. “No other industry currently brings as many annual investment euros to Finland as wind power and no other electricity generation can be built in Finland as quickly and as cost-effectively right now,” adds Mikkonen.
Seaweed solutions
More than six billion tonnes of untreated plastic fill our seas and just six per cent of all the plastic ever produced has been recycled. But now, as global awareness is growing, a London-based start-up named Notpla believe they have a solution. Pierre Paslier and Rodrigo García González found their solution growing in the sea, where a plastic alternative is made from seaweed and plants, all natural and biodegradable and fully capable being liquid and food containers. They have created more than a million takeaway food boxes for Just Eat and have the potential to replace over 100 million plastic-coated containers in Europe. Seaweed captures carbon twenty times faster than trees and their farms boost fish populations; this is great joined-up thinking that’s creating new opportunities for local communities.
Sky Events
The spring equinox is on 20 March and occurs at 21:17 UTC. There will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. On 2 March Venus and Jupiter are both visible 22 degrees to the west: look out for them at 6pm. The moon and Venus will approach closely to Earth at dusk at about 27 degrees to the west. On 27 March, Mars and the moon are both visible together in the southern skies at 62 degrees; they also set together in the west at 2am.
March Tides
Spring tides: 8th–9th and 22nd–23rd
Neap tides: 1st–2nd, 16th–17th and 30th–31st
Andreas Kornevall is a Swedish storyteller, author and ecologist. He is the Director of Operations for the Earth Restoration Service Charity based in the UK
