Easter.A symbol of renewal,regrowth and rebirth,not forgetting hot cross buns and chocolate eggs!
Birdsong is reaching a crescendo as migrants fly in,territories are defended,nests are built,eggs laid and early fledglings fed.

Tadpoles grow rapidly and are free swimming.Fish are spawning and insects buzzing.Holly blue butterflies(pictured)patrol our gardens and spring species such as orange tips,brimstones,small tortoiseshells,peacocks,commas,red admirals and whites take advantage of any warm sunny spell however fleeting.

Tree blossom is a riot of colour with white and pink cherry,forsythia,lilac and blackthorn predominating.The beautiful but ephemeral flowers of magnolia glow for a day or so but are whisked away in the slightest breeze.

A host of wild flowers appear as daffodils fade away.One of the earliest is the lesser celandine carpeting woodlands and hedge banks in glistening gold,its blooms closing in cold and rain.This was the favourite flower of William Wordsworth who wrote a poem about it.Unfortunately a carving on Wordsworth's tomb in Grasmere depicts the greater celandine which is unrelated and a grave error on the part of the sculptor.

Woodland also plays host to the wood anemone or windflower with a peculiar scent giving rise to the odd country name of 'smell foxes'.Even dandelions are worth their weight in gold for insects.

For me,the pick of the bunch of spring flowers is the genuine native bluebell with deep blue pendulous flowers unlike the insipid straight-stemmed Spanish variety which flowers first and is usually seen in gardens.Our bluebells are much sought after by brimstone and orange tip butterflies.