David

Every spring, coltsfoots proliferate in a tarmac-covered front garden. At some point they must have forced their way through the tarmac to get to the open air.

The formerly sticky buds on a horse chestnut tree beginning to open.

Flowers beginning to open on blue alkanets – these growing by a canalside footpath. These tiny blue flowers have a very long flowering season.

As the weather got warmer last week, there was a big increase in the numbers of ladybirds on vegetation. These were a small sample of ones on ivy leaves at Caslecroft, including a mating pair.

Wall-rue growing on the mortar on a wall of Staffordshire blue bricks.

Fairies bonnets, small  inkcap mushrooms which can grow in clusters at any time from early spring to late autumn. These were already somewhat battered when I spotted them.