Spring is in full force in the green lanes here in southern Britain and the weather is really warming up. It's such a change in just a few weeks, from feeling chilly and looking bare, through to already starting to have that slightly wild and unkempt look of verges full of lifeforce and energy.
Find of the week (so far ...) has to go to the Chicken of the Woods fungus in the pic above. Isn't it a beauty!
The verges are filling out with long tangles of cleavers (also known as goosegrass) which is just coming into flower. The different shades of green and the shapes of all the different leaves look so good together.
The cow parsley has that beautifully billowy look and the wide edges of the lanes are filled with it. Lower down, the pink of the cut-leaved cranesbill pops against filigree leaves.
Hawthorn is in full bloom still, and the patches of rich blue speedwell are looking strong. You can see speedwell in the pic below, making a perfect pairing with the pink of herb Robert.
Stitchwort is a little less common but still there if you look. Occasionally, there's a whole swathe of it waiting to greet you as you round a corner. There's always something magickal about the pretty white starry flowers of stitchwort. They dance and wave in the wind and just look incredible.
I'll leave you with a final pic of the treetops because how could we overlook those? After a whole winter with them bare, isn't it just wonderful to see them full of leaves again and looking so fresh and green!
