Spring
This is the time when you may see and hear the skylark high in sky over the fields and ancient monuments. Although the farmer has ploughed the fields, you can walk up to Mysselhøj. On the way, you will likely find a flint chip from the Stone Age workshop. There are many of them, if you just keep your eyes open.
The anemones bloom in the woods around Gl. Lejre. The songbirds are busy marking their territory and finding mates. Butterburs blossom along Lejre Å. Frogs and toads leave their on-land winter dwellings and make their way to creeks and streams to mate and lay eggs.
The beeches come into leaf and nature acquires a light-green hue. In late May, the characteristic song of the nightingale is heard in the thicket at Kornerup Å. There are many nightingales in Gl. Lejre. On a quiet evening you can hear them far away but, in spring, the nightingales sing even during the day.
Summer
The broad-leaved marsh orchids, which grow in the low meadows along the creeks, blossom. On the burial mounds the catchflies blossom. And common foxgloves send their great tall spikes into the air. The forest is fresh and green, and animals and birds are having their young. The elders blossom and you are permitted to pick elder flowers for making elder flower squash for private consumption.
In Nordic mythology, the elder is associated with Freya and it is believed that the Vikings used both the flowers and the berries as a means of easing colds and flus.
Summer has arrived and everywhere is green and lush. The butterflies are busy feeding on nectar. For example, you may spot small coppers and common blues. The farmer cuts grass for hay in the fields around the ancient monuments.
August is harvest time. You can pick elder berries if you did not manage to pick elder flowers for juice. The first blackberries are also ripening, and the wild apples are ripe. But beware, they are tart.
Fall
You may gather mushrooms in the fields if you keep your eyes open when you are out and about looking at ancient monuments.
Nature is, perhaps, at its most beautiful when the leaves turn and start sporting autumn colours. And a fine autumn day, when the winter seed has sprouted and adds a green hue to the fields, is the perfect time to walk up on Mysselhøj and look out at the landscape. On your way across the field you can look for flint fragments from the Stone Age. The black crows and jackdaws take your mind to Odin's ravens Hugin and Munin.
Crossing the creek Ledreborg Å at Lillebro you might catch a glimpse of the dipper, hunting at the bottom of the creek. The dipper is an ordinary winter visitor to Denmark. It has an extra eyelid - a nicitating membrane - which is semi-transparent. It acts as a kind of diving goggle while the dipper collects insects and small animals.
By now, the trees have lost their leaves and it is time to put on a raincoat and wellies and take a long walk. You may also pick blackthorn for blackthorn squash or schnapps. After a few frosty nights, the berries have attained the right sweetness.
Winter
The winter months are a good time to hunt for animal prints in the fresh snow. With a little help, you can easily learn to distinguish between the footprint of the different animals. You can clearly follow the hare’s path across the field. You can also follow the fox's track and see if last night’s hunt was a success.
The deer walk together in large herds. If you are lucky you might see them in the woods or out in the fields.
The first common tits, great tits and blue tits slowly pick up their song. Although it is still winter, there are signs of spring. For example, it is mating time for the foxes. If you hear scary barks and "screams" it may well be the foxes calling to each other.
Spend a Sunday at Lejre Museum and take a walk outside to look at the sights afterwards. You might meet Odin’s bird, the raven. It is not a common sight in Gl. Lejre. However, they are about and, in late winter, these big black birds can be very noisy when protecting their territory and kicking last year's young out of the nest. It is said that raven couples mate for life.