The Beauty Of The Blackthorn Blossom

While wildflowers are muse for many of my paintings this blog is all about a tree whose is an early arrival in spring, the Blackthorn. It’s a captivating sight that has inspired my spring blossom paintings.

Once early spring comes around, their spiny branches become abundant with white flowers that later mature into fruits. The twigs form straight side shoots which later develop into thorns. Blackthorn and hawthorn or whitethorn are easily confused but blackthorn flowers appear before the leaves develop and hawthorn developed flowers after the leaves.

When Spring Reveals Her Hand 100×100cms (sold)

What Do Blackthorns Look Like?

These trees are among the first ones to bloom with an abundance of white flowers around early March. Blackthorns can get quite tall, reaching 6-7 meters in height, and they have a pretty long lifespan, living to nearly 100 years. In late spring, specifically after the insects’ pollination, the flowers turn to blue-black fruits called sloes which are widely used to create sloe gin.

Blackthorns are very valuable to wildlife. Since they’re early flowering, they provide nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinators in spring. Also, its slightly wrinkled leaves are food for caterpillars of many moths. Finally, birds usually like to nest in Blackthorns – they can easily eat caterpillars and other insects from the foliage, and they tend to feast on the sloes once autumn comes around.

The History & Use Of The Blackthorns

Blackthorns also have a very interesting history behind them. This shrubby tree has been associated with witchcraft. It is believed that their wood has been used to create witches’ wands and staffs. Also, Blackthorn wood has been used to create walking and riding sticks, and at one point, it was the traditional wood for Irish shillelaghs.

 Aside from the actual wood, the sloes have been widely used in many tonics and syrups as they are believed to ‘cleanse the blood’, aid digestion issues, and ease rheumatic pain. Nowadays, however, the purple fruits are mostly used to create sloe gin, wine, and preserves.

Little Gifts of Light 80×80cms

How Blackthorns Inspire My Contemporary Paintings

 There are so many ways how Blackthorns inspire my spring paintings. Firstly, I love that they’re early bloomers. They look absolutely stunning in hedgerows before most of the meadow wildflowers emerge. I like to paint the ones at Clattinger Farm Meadows which have stunning Snakeshead Fritillaries growing at their feet.

The First Day of Spring 100×100cms

The mass of white blooms looks almost cloud-like which is always a pleasure to paint. The tree also has a delightful and sweet fragrance, most welcome whilst walking in a meadow on a sunny spring day. Or by the River Avon near my home which inspired the painting below.

First Blossom 100×100cms

To learn more about this wildflower series, check my other blog posts and to see how I have painted them recently there are some on my available work page.

More from the blog …

Buttercups: The Art and Science

Knapweed, Nature’s Resilient Marvel