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In early March I wrote a bit about spring had sprung, when about 3 days later it had changed its mind and we were back to winter. But now I see everyone is writing about spring, and quite right too. Two weeks ago my husband and I wandered in Belhus Woods Country Park and there were no flowers to be seen, except some old Hazel catkins, but not much else. I was supposed to lead a guided wild-flower walk, but I cancelled it as there were no flowers!

But today, we saw oodles of Lesser Celandine and Sweet Violets, Early Dog-violets, Wood Anemones, Ground-ivy, even Greater Stitchwort, all open in the afternoon sunshine. All sorts of birds were shouting and making pre-mating noises, including the Yaffle Bird, whose other name is the Green Woodpecker. We saw a Brimstone butterfly, which I know is an early one, and my husband saw a Bee-fly.

Up by the newish lake at Hunts Hill (following gravel extraction and now a flooded hollow) the plants of Blinks were in full and glorious flower, and so were many plants of Whitlow-grass.  But the early Forget-me-not had not appeared. In contrast, Blinks is usually in flower in February and March, and has usually gone by now, and the Whitlow-grass not far behind.

In the woods there were loads of Bluebell plants, but leaves nowhere near fully grown and no flower stems to see, let alone flowering.  I think they will need another two or three weeks at least. Usually they are in flower here in mid April.

We also noticed a large amount of water lying around, making ponds where usually there are none, and tiny pools had become lakes. I have not seen so much water since early 2001, when we had floods everywhere. But we have not had much rain recently, so what is going on I have no idea!