A few days of warm sunshine have seen nature ramping up for spring. The geese in Roberts Park have free rein over the grass now there are fewer people sitting around in the sunshine.
In Hirst Woods, the early adopters among the trees - principally the birches, sycamores and hawthorn - have unfurled fresh green leaves. The bigger trees like oak, beech and chestnut are slower to react. The beech leaves are all still tightly coiled like little bronze daggers on the twigs.
Wood anemone and lesser celandine lift their sweet faces to the sun.
On the south-facing slopes by the river, early bluebells are in flower. Those in the shadier woodland are still a few weeks away from their peak; they have plenty of leaves but few flowers as yet.
The sunshine has made dandelions spring up everywhere, their bright yellow discs looking fresh and clean. They have a bad press for some reason, but unless they happen to be rooted in your pristine lawn, I think they're very cheerful.
And finally, I have heard that the lockdown is having a beneficial effect on pollution and wildlife. Even so, I didn't expect to spot a crocodile in the River Aire... !
Nature everywhere seems to be benefitting from the lack of human activity.
ReplyDeleteYour season seems aligned with ours. Bluebells, wood anemones, dandelions, bright early leaves. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteNeat photos. The dandelions photo is one of the prettiest I've seen, enchanting water background, green buds on twigs, very spring. That crocodile is scary.
ReplyDeleteGreat wildflowers to see. croccodile is funny to me...he's on his back with his legs up like a bug.
ReplyDeleteNice job finding interesting things to photograph while in lockdown. I have been photographing just about every kind of bird within my community, but I have pretty much run out of different ones. And the croc? Hmmm . . . maybe.
ReplyDeleteLovely ducks, I"m also very interested in the building in the distance.
ReplyDelete