Tellima grandiflora

This plant grows abundantly in our shady woodland. It is a native of North America which has escaped from gardens in the UK and become naturalised.The  National Trust  recognises this as an invasive species.

Jet stream brings stormy weather

A stormy evening in the Cotswolds after a day of wind, sunshine, showers and even hailstones!

Wild Garlic

 The leaves on the trees are now starting to shade the woodland floor and the last of the woodland spring flowers carpet the ground with white.
Wood garlic is my favourite and it not only looks spectacular but leaves and flowers are edible. The white flowers have a strong garlic taste and make an attractive garnish while the leaves are used in soups and pesto.

Apple Blossom

The Apple blossom this year is looking good in our part of the Cotswolds. We have plenty of insects for pollination, no frosts and seems to have survived the gales earlier in the week. Fingers crossed for a good harvest of cooking apples later in the year.

Dandelion

 Not a popular plant as it is an invasive weed in gardens and farmland alike but the fields full  of their yellow flowers make an impressive sight at the moment.

Oak Trees

The  magnificent English Oaks Quercus Robur are now bursting into leaf although even when they are close together like these three they come out at different times.
There is always the old folk lore that oak  out before ash gives a dryer summer. We looked and they all seemed about the same this year but eventually took the picture below of a late ash !

Coaley Wood Bluebells

Bluebells on  north west facing scarp of Coaley Wood are a little later than some in the area but are now out in their glory carpeting the woodland floor in blue,

Oak tree at sunset

Today's cooler conditions have given beautiful views of distant hills, here we see the Malvern hills in the background.

This evening's sunset enhanced this oak tree with it's dark stems and bright green leaves.

Bluebell Woods

Beech leaves are emerging and woodland flowers must rush to take advantage of the light before the leaf canopy shades the ground.
Bluebells have come into full bloom in the last week and wood garlic is just starting to flower.
Primroses violets and wood anemones are all in flower so this is a particularly beautiful time in the woods so make the most of it and take a walk!

Snakes Head Fritillary

Late April in the Thames water meadows near Cricklade is the time to see a spectacular display of snake's head fritillary  which fill the fields for a few weeks.This plant is an endangered species in the wild but flowers profusely in these fields. The bulbs like waterlogged conditions in the winter and the Thames floods here so conditions are ideal.