Spring wildlife to spot
When the baby rabbits are hopping, the daffodils are blooming and the ducklings are quacking – spring is definitely in the air at Bluestone!
Spring breaks at Bluestone are an uplifting time as our ancient woodland comes alive again and positively hums with flora and fauna.
Even if you aren't staying at Bluestone right now you can look for these signs wherever you are. It's a great way to get your children interested in nature and is a perfect activity for the whole family to enjoy over the holidays.
It's great fun to be a nature detective, so we’ve created this guide for our Bluestone Rangers to spot signs of spring on your journey around the resort.
Snowdrops
Snowdrops are one of the first signs of spring. They like to pop up around the willow snake, Sallwyn Llan on the hill, see if you can see them here.
Rabbits
See if you can spot a family of rabbits during your stay – they like to play in the sunshine on the grass around the Treetots Play Area.
Primroses
You’ll find pretty patches of primroses hiding in a few places around the resort. Have a look down the Lake to see if you can find them.
Lambs
On your journey to Bluestone see how many lambs you can spot in the field. You’ll have to be quick to count them all!
Frogspawn
If you’re extra lucky and study our Lake closely you might see some little balls of something that looks like jelly in the streams and on our Lake. This is frogspawn. The black specks are the eggs and will soon be turning into tadpoles.
Baby ducklings
If you go down to the Lake see if you can find tropes of baby ducklings – how many can you find? Ducklings, Moorhens and Little Grebe chicks can be found along the edge of the lake as they take the first few steps in life and it’s magical to see them in their natural habitat. While our ducks are pretty friendly, the Little Grebe’s are much more secretive and harder to spot, so it’s worth taking your time and having a closer look.
Daffodils
Daffodils are the national flower of Wales and during spring you can find them in abundance at Bluestone growing around the resort. Keep an eye out on your walks!
Bluebells
Beautiful blue shoots of loveliness – bluebells form stunning carpets of colour around the resort especially beside our Nature Trails throughout the ancient woodland. To see the beautiful flowers in all their glory, journey down to the ruin of Castell Coch, where you can find them along the hollow ways and in the woods near to the iron age fort.
Blackbirds
You might hear their enchanting singing before you see them, blackbirds aren’t always easy to spot but keep an eye out for the male blackbirds’ bright yellow beaks.
Butterflies
You can spot many beautiful butterflies around resort during May, but a sure sign of spring is the appearance of the distinctive Orange-tip that can be found dancing around woodlands and gardens from April to July.
Also look out for the Holly Blues, an early spring butterfly with beautiful pale silver-blue wings spotted with pale ivory that usually fly from March to May.
Visiting birds
Some other feathered friends you can spot around the resort will be Swallows and House Martins. The migrating birds will hopefully have arrived at Bluestone by May, ready for a summer in Pembrokeshire and will be busy building and repairing their nests. Make sure to look up when you’re walking to and from your lodge, as many of their homes can be found there.