Japanese Maple by Sedge Warbler

Acer Palmatum (Japanese Maple) Native to: Eastern China, Korea and Japan.

A deciduous shrub or small tree, growing up to 10meters in the wild. It's natural habitat is woods, hills and mountains. The Japanese Maple enjoys any moist soil in part shade, sheltered from wind. It flowers in April/May.

The first trees came to Britain in the 19th Century but they had been cultivated in Japan for centuries before any specimens reached Europe.

Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus Schoenobaenus)

Sedge Warbler are long-distance trans-Sahara migrants that lay down extensive fat reserve in northern Europe in preparation for long-haul flights to the African wintering grounds.

Sedge Warblers breed extensively within both Britain and Ireland, with strongholds in the fens and coastal levels of eastern England and in lowland areas of Scotland and east-central Ireland. Preferred breeding habitants are lowland marshes and waterways, although dry scrub, young conifers and even crops are sometimes used. Although knowledge is scant, Sedge Warblers seem to utilize a range of habitats in the African winter quarters but most commonly those associated with fresh water, such as reed beds, papyrus and the marshy fringes of lakes.

Pre-migratory movement of Sedge Warbler begin in late July with birds apparently searching for sites with high densities of Plum-reed Aphids, an important but ephemeral and unpredictable food source. In West Africa, spring migration begins in late February, and the first birds reach their breeding grounds inFrance by the late March and Britain by early April.