Right before Christmas, I went on a nature walk at Anglesey Abbey with my mum. I found my favourite tree, which has a large leafy canopy and branches that I love to climb in the summer. It was magnificent, even though it was bare and dull as its leaves had fallen off.
Beneath the tree I could see something glistening and dancing delicately. Curiously, I looked through my binoculars (I couldn’t walk up to it as the lawns were roped off) and what I saw surprised me – it was a bunch of snowdrops, their dainty heads swaying in the cold and crisp morning air.
Now we’re into January, you can see the snowdrops starting to come out much more in parks, gardens and woods, as they normally flower between January and March. (I saw a smashing display at a snowdrop tour at Anglesey Abbey last February).
But I’m curious as to why I saw them blooming earlier this winter. So I’ve done some research and, according to the Woodland Trust, snowdrops are a sign that warmer weather is on the way, and they are flowering early because of climate change.
I have also found out that snowdrops are considered a symbol of hope and new beginnings, so maybe this is a sign of hope that if we work together, we can protect nature from the changing climate.
A fun fact that I discovered while researching snowdrops is that they are named after earrings in the 15th to 17th centuries and not drops of snow!
Tasmia, eight
• Read today’s other YCD piece, by Edward, 13: ‘A rainbow … at nighttime?’
• Young Country Diary is published every fourth Saturday of the month. The submission form is now closed, but it will reopen on Saturday 1 March for spring pieces, staying open until Monday 31 March
