Churchyard Nature Note with Andrew Tompsett
November 2011
November – Nature is resting and counting
• A wintry scene in the churchyard, photographed by Frank Baker
November, with its cold, dull, foggy weather, may be our least favourite month but for all living things it marks the start of a vital resting period, ensuring a successful reawakening next year.
For almost all plants a cold period is essential for a vigorous renewal in spring. The flowering of perennial plants and bulbs,
all trees and fruit crops need this to prepare them for a positive resurgence of growth at the right time.
This cold resting period has a scientific name, vernalisation, which means ‘preparing for spring’. Consider what might happen if
it did not happen. Trees, shrubs and all plants would have a faulty timetable and then miss out on the necessary pollination whilst depriving many creatures of their food supplies. The effects would be widespread. Imagine bats emerging from hibernation when their food, insects, were not about.
Studies at Rosewarne helped us to understand the need for a prolonged cold period for the successful flowering of daffodils. It
has long been known that bulbs will fail if taken indoors too early. We found that 10 weeks averaging less than 9°C is necessary and using this information flower growers seeking early blooms would coldstore bulbs before planting. More recently Rosewarne bred naturally early flowering varieties, which require less cold, so the precooling treatment is now seldom used.
So, when we admire the spring display we are reminded of those cold, dreary days of November which made it all possible.
Think of November as actually the beginning of spring when plants are being ‘vernalised’. All nature is now resting, but is not asleep, rather it is the start of the count down to spring.