It’s early spring, so the blackthorn bushes are putting out their flowers before there’s any sign of leaf. Hawthorns, meanwhile, are beginning to develop their leaves, which will be fully open before the flower buds even start to develop.
Patches of tiny white flowers growing within inches of the road, Danish scurvy grass is a halophile (salt lover). It now grows where briny splashes from winter gritting land anywhere it can put down roots.
Up to the 1960s it was found in Britain, but only as a rare plant growing right by the sea. But gritting roads began to be done more systematically, and the slipstreams created in the growing of traffic helped spread the seeds of the plant, which is now common in early spring.
During the first COVID lockdown, four (!) years ago, urban wildlife got much more confident. I took these pictures just a couple of weeks after the restrictions were brought in, but I’m just getting round to uploading them. This robin was getting ready to burst forth on a display song, undisturbed by me sitting just a few feet away in the spring sunshine.
A front garden completely covered in tarmac, presumably aiming at the ultimate in low maintenance. If so, it hasn’t really worked. Each spring, the garden is dotted with coltsfoot flowers which have forced their way through.
More popular in front gardens from gardeners who want spring colour and ground cover are heathers, often in this purple flower / white flower combo.
Perhaps it’s just because I’ve been paying a bit more attention, but this year I’ve been noticing several front lawns which are completely carpeted with bright yellow from flowering lesser celandines.