Oaks just coming into leaf and flower



Hazel coppice stool











Bird Cherry - Prunus padus









Bluebell - Hyacinthoides non - scripta just beginning to unfurl.







The flowers are really flat and distinctly horizontal which caught my eye.



Lesser Celandine - Ficaria verna



?



?


?





Hornbeam - Carpinus betulus



















Early Purple Orchid - Orchis mascula



A pink shade of Wood Anemone - Anemone nemorosa











Couldn't get over the long legs and how the fly can angle them to get at the different plants of the flower.
The angled knee in the lower picture is extraordinary, particularly with the laid back stretch as well..
Two above that show how high it can project itself. A bit like a cat stretching or an old citroen safari with the air suspension.




Just managed a picture of the back legs extended. They are very quick to tuck them in when they land on something.

Large Bee-fly - Bombylius major supping on the Celandines.

Bee-fly life cycle form the Dipterists forum

Most amazing the way the females load the eggs with dirt to camouflage the eggs and make them heavier.
This allows the female to flick them into the burrows of Solitary Mining bees.
The hatched Bee-fly larva then eat the larva of the Mining bees

Water Avens - Geum rivale

Nodding avens, cure all, drooping avens, water flower, indian chocolate





Orange Ladybird - Halyzia sedecimguttata

Apparently closely associated with Ancient Woodland in the past. Likes to feed on the mildew associated with Sycamores. But it's range is increasing as it has adapted to feed on Ash.


Orange Tip
Brimstone
Comma
Holly Blue

Tag CloudBee-fly, Bluebells, EarlyPurpleOrchid, WoodAnemone, Hornbeam, BirdCherry, Landscape, Spider, WaterAvens, OrangeLadybird, LesserCelandine

Hazel - Corylus avellana







Hornbeam - Carpinus betulus








Blackthorn - Prunus spinosa

Tag CloudHazel, Hornbeam, Blackthorn, Landscape

So delicately perfect. Almost the Tudor rose.



Barren Strawberry - Potentilla sterilis



Bird Cherry (Prunus padus) just about to flower.







Wood Anemone - Anemone nemorosa





Early Dog-violet - Viola riechenbaciana





The delicate hairs on the leaves really sang in the sunshine today.





Hornbeam - Carpinus betulus

The canopy was in full flower but couldn't stretch that far.

Tag CloudLandscape, EarlyDog-violet, BarrenStrawberry, WoodAnemone

Hornbeam - Carpinus betulus









Just coppiced



One year coppice?













Willow - Salix spp?







Bird Cherry - Prunus pads



Hawthorn - Crataegus monogyne

















Yellow Star of Bethlehem - Gagea lutea



Comma - Polygonia c-album

Brimstone butterflies on the wing.
Chiffchaff singing
Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers
Marsh Tit

Tag CloudHornbeam, Willow, YellowStarOfBethlehem, Landscape, Comma

Oak standards (Quercus robur )



Hazel - Corylus avellana








At least three ages of Hazel coppice across the wood









Elf Cup?



Bracket Fungus?





Moss? ground layer

Tag CloudCoppice, Landscape, ElfCup, Oak, Hazel