Fen Blow

This morning I dropped Alex in Huntingdon, and then went off to Pingle Wood to make a preliminary survey visit. I'd dithered about whether to go, as high winds were forecast, but it was a sunny morning so I decided to risk it. I must admit I'd forgotten quite how noisy woods are during a gale, and some of the tall ash trees were creaking rather ominously.

I was amazed how quickly the plants are responding to the warmer temperatures. I saw my first flowering bluebell of the year, as well as sheets of lesser celandine and four species of violet. The leaves of the Midland hawthorn have emerged, and I also saw unfolding crab apple and hazel leaves - these were completely absent during surveys of nearby woodland carried out on Monday.

On my way back from surveying Pingle Wood, I experienced one of the worst Fen Blows for some time. I first saw soil being whipped off the fields near Warboys, and then made a detour towards Holme where it was much worse, with a dense wall of peat blowing across Hod Fen Drove. The car sounded as though it was being sand-blasted as I drove through, and when I stopped near the edge of the blow to take a photograph, I was soon covered with penetrating fine dust.

A Fen Blow normally occurs in spring, when high winds follow a period of very dry weather. Winds whip up the peat soil, rather like a sandstorm and a fen blow results. Planting of cereal grain crops alongside traditional fenland crops such as carrots and sugar beet has reduced the effect of soil erosion in recent times - acting as a windbreak to reduce the effect. Sugar beet is particularly susceptible, with the winds bruising and severing young seedlings. In bygone times the blows would cause a real problem for people living nearby - blanketing windows and even encroaching into people's homes. The thick clouds of soil can even clog car air filters. I think some people would have been suffering from those problems today - my car has a layer of fine peat on the dashboard even though I only opened the door for a few seconds, out of the main path of the blow.

You can see more images of this phenomenon here.

Best viewed large!