Welcome to the 2008 Easter Feature
When does Spring begin? One answer is that it begins on March 21st, around the vernal equinox. In 2006 the Met Office decided it should begin instead on March 1st, provoking outrage among traditionalists. The vernal equinox is the point at which night and day are of equal length. From then on sunlight starts to win the battle over darkness. Interestingly, this year Good Friday occurs on 21st March.
Whatever the date, soon the stark silhouettes of trees will begin to be flecked with green – the first sign of new leaves. For many people it is signs like this, rather than a strict calendar date, that mark the beginning of Spring. In recent years, though, the effects of climate change have caused natural signs such as leaf growth to appear earlier and earlier.
This year’s Culham/Reep Easter Calendar will help you to be able to identify trees when they come into leaf – which they will, whatever the calendar date.
It will also take you on a quest for a more mysterious tree – the Tree of Life. This is far more exciting than anything found in Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code! Strange signs and symbols will lead us to a community of knights gathered around a noble leader. These knights are involved in the ancient battle between darkness and light, life and death - a battle which continues to this day.
Want to find out more? Come and join us on this puzzling journey to find the Tree of Life.
To begin your journey through the forest click on the button below. You must correctly identify each leaf in order to move on to the next stage. If you get the answer wrong a sinister monk will come and try to thwart your quest!