The Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna) is a cheerful sight in the bottom of the Cornish hedges right now. It has tiny kidney-shaped leaves and the shining buttercup yellow faces are a good source of early pollen and nectar for pollinating insects. Considered a weed, they are not too invasive and it has the odd habit of its leaves dying back after flowering, deceiving the gardener into believing it has gone away while it is merely coiled for further invasion in late winter.
Other plants seen in the Cornish hedges are the bright stars of Lesser Stitchwort, the yellows of Gorse and Dandelions, white Blackthorn blossom and white three cornered leek (onion weed), purple Dog Violets which flowers from April to June, but its flowers are not scented, wood anemones that are seen flowering not in the wood land, but on the bare slopes of the hill. And bluebells are beginning to make an appearance. Yellow, white and purple are the colours of April.
Tired of focusing in the hedges I turn my lens up to the many different trees that are bursting into leaf and flower now. Seeking out unusual leaves and buds and flowers.
Whilst we are confined to #StayAtHome I will be posting photos from around my house and garden to hopefully cheer us all up.
Can you please check your spam folders as many of my comments are still disappearing, even on sites where I comment frequently. Thank you!
Cornwall in Colours 
Thank you for these lovely photos of the flowers that are all along our walk along the Great Flat Lode behind our house. I need to bookmark this page for later reference! The Foxgloves are getting stronger too. 🙂
Bluebells and Cow Parsley and Red Campions next followed by foxgloves. Thank goodness there is something different for us to look out for.
Love the Maple? tree leaves from below Jude and all of the wonderful colours and flowers and…………
Yes, I think they are field maples. My tree ID skills are poor.
I was just going from the leaf shape
I do that, and then discover that many trees have similar shapes!
lol
I don’t believe we have three cornered leek here, but all the others are appearing – or have appeared already – on my walks. Such joy!
We don’t seem to have ransoms here in this part of Cornwall, though I have seen them around the Helford River.
Ah well, it’s nice to have regional variations.
Lovely to see the wildflowers, Jude
Thanks Sue, more each day. Nice to see the blackthorn. Next month should be hawthorn.
Now you know where the blackthorn bushes are, will you be collecting sloes for gin later in the year??
Most are difficult to get to. The nettles and brambles will grow up in front of the bushes. Some are right behind my house, but I can’t pick the berries.
Ah, Ok, the Blackthorn thorns are enough of a problem
True!
I might try and harvest some elderflowers this year though.
That would be good….my mother used to make a delicious elderflower ‘champagne’
Sounds nice. I’m thinking of syrup to add to gin and tonic.
Sounds like a plan!
Lovely signs of spring Jude
Had our first rain in weeks last night, everything is looking fresh, except a couple of tulips which are hanging their heads.
Sun and more sun over here got to 32deg today🥵
Phew, that’s warm.
Lovely Blackthorn! I don’t know how you keep up with the different types/names, Jude! Having looked closely at your Celandine we concluded that our ‘weeds’ were definitely Coltsfoot. 🙂 🙂 That maple is a lovely shot too.
Wish I was as good with trees. And now I have written that I remembered I have an app on my phone. Duh! 😂
You’re almost a modern woman, Jude. 🤣 Still mizzling this morning. Quick food shop done.
I would be if I remembered that I have these Apps on my phone! And remember to take the phone with me!
The flowers are a balm in the present circumstances
They certainly are. At least they provide interest on my walks.
The hedgerows are so beautiful at this time of year. Ransoms! Once got never rid of!
Same with the onion weed!
I love to take a walk with you through the countryside in spring. Not only is the landscape delightful but I would learn so much about plants and flowers! I love the 2nd photo of the white flowers (stitchwort?). As if the flower itself wasn’t pretty enough, nature decided to give her a burst of tiny fireworks 😀
I will have another walk in the lanes next week, slightly different views from my usual walk. And yes, the stitchwort is very pretty. Along with the dog violets they really jump out at you from amongst the greenery.
I think we’ve talked about the dog violet before. I suspect that’s the little plant that peeks out from under my fence line. Some day I’ll have to definitively identify it.
I often like plants that are considered to be weeds. 🙂
Nothing from you in my Spam folder, Jude.
Best wishes, Pete. x
I seem okay on your site Pete, but there are others where I am still vanishing. I contacted WP but no answer from them whatsoever.
That happened to me recently, on sites that are ‘dot-com’, or self-hosted. Once each blogger freed me from Spam, it went back to normal. I didn’t contact WP, as it didn’t happen on any of their worpress.com sites.
Mmm… I will start noting the ones where I disappear to see if there is a connection. Thanks for the thought.