On Wednesday a small hardy and brave group of nature explorers set off around Margarets Meadow looking for early signs of spring.

We started with the golden copse, planted during the Queens golden jubilee in 2003. Most of the tree and shrubs have gold/yellow leaves or flowers and the 2 large witch hazels were in full flower. We then, wearing our wellies and clutching our walking poles, descended to the river to view the snowdrops and to see what else was around. Luckily we spotted some winter aconite in full flower and several different catkins and a few fungi of various types. We also heard the glorious sound of the song thrush in full voice.

All in all a very pleasant  couple of hours with hardly any rain.

Below are a few photos of the highlights.

Kevin and Malcolm