Total monthly rainfall: 33 millimetres. Maximum daily rainfall: 11 millimetres on March 2^nd.

There were 9 days when measurable rain fell, and 10 days when cloud-cover reached 100% for at least part of the day.

Maximum temperature on the warmest day was 20C on the 23^rd and 24^th, and maximum temperature on the coldest day was 6C on the 6^th and 7^th. A grass frost occurred on the 15^th , 24^th, and 25^th; sharp frost on the 21^st, and hail and snow on March 31^st. Otherwise, the only moderately windy spells were 11^th-13^th  and 19^th March.

The first wildflower to bloom this month was the dog’s mercury along our roadside verge on the 3^rd, followed by the first lesser-celandines on the woodland ride on the 6^th. Wood violets began appearing beside the wood on the 22^nd, wood anemone and bluebells on the 23^rd, and snake’s head fritillary and ground ivy on the 23^rd. Shepherd’s purse in the vegetable garden, and cuckoo flower beside the lake bloomed on March 23^th, with greater-stitchwort in the ride on the 26th.These 10 flowers brought our total to 18 for the year so far.

• Cuckooflower 23rd March Cuckooflower 23rd March
• Early Hollyberries 30th March Early Hollyberries 30th March
• Lesser celandines 6th March Lesser celandines 6th March
• Marsh marigolds 18th March Marsh marigolds 18th March
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Five species of butterfly appeared during the month – a peacock disturbed from among the logs in the woodland log-shed on March 2^nd, and another by the woodland edge on the 19^th; a red admiral beside the woodland hedge on the 14^th; a brimstone flying along the drive on March 21^st; a speckled wood in our woodland ride on March 25^th, and a comma along the edge of the shave on March 26^th.

Other insects this month were a red-tailed bumblebee beside the wood on March 16^th; two bee-flies among celandines in the ride on March 17^th ; a diving-beetle in the back pond on March 24^th, a whirligig beetle also in  back pond and a 7-spot ladybird on nettles on the 25^th.   

We have not seen any toads or frogs so far this year, but we did see a grass snake swimming on the back pond on the 26^th March. There was nothing seen beneath our reptile shelters during the month.

New wild bird sightings were represented during the month by a kestrel hovering beside a hedgerow oak on the 17^th, two grey-lag geese on the lake on the 21^st, and a sparrow-hawk in our shave on 25^th March to bring our total to 34 species. We continued to be visited daily by one or two herons, frequently by cormorants, and regularly by varying numbers of crows – including a murder of around 20 terrorising an unknown group of other birds in the woodland tree-tops on March 13^th. We also witnessed a succession of starling murmurations during the first-half of the month.

Spring tree and shrub leaf development progressed as follows:

Buds began to open on March 7^th on dog rose; blackthorn on the 7^th; goat willow on the 13^th; wild cherry on the 19^th; silver birch on the 23^rd; horse chestnut on the 27^th, and field maple on the 31^st…

Elder first leaves commenced on March 2^nd, followed by hawthorn on the 7^th; dog rose on the 12^th; blackthorn on the 17^th; wild cherry on the 21^st; silver birch on the 24^th, and horse chestnut on the 27^th. The huge surprise was the unexpected discovery of many red berries on one holly tree.