The warm dry weather of April promoted a dazzling display of blossom. Blackthorn(sloe); cheery plum; the vibrant yellow of gorse; pink and white ornamental cherry and lilac have been a delight.
Couple that with wild flowers including celandine; cowslips; primroses; ramsons; comfrey; stitchwort; dandelions; green alkanet and others which have also flourished.
Now is the time for frothy cascades of white and sometimes pink hawthorn(May)to flower above an understorey of Queen Anne's lace and choicest of all, bluebells.
I'm talking about our fragrant native deep blue pendulous bluebells and not the earlier flowering thick-stemmed upright insipid pale blue blowzy Spanish variety which unfortunately hybridise with our native stock.
I love to watch orange-tip and brimstone butterflies(pictured)hanging poised below the drooping bluebell florets imbibing nectar, thus creating a delightful colour combination.
Being in a woodland glade among bluebells on a sunny morning is to experience one of the wonders of springtime.
Birdsong is now at its best too so it is challenging to listen to the chorus and identify a whole host of species nesting nearby and declaring their ownership of territories within the woodland.
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