Easter Monday walk

It was such a lovely warm sunny day on Easter Monday that it seemed a good time to make a return visit to the local woods. I was keen to see how much had changed in the few weeks since our last visit. In particular, I was hoping for woodland flowers and I wasn't disappointed.

After seeing hardly any bluebells in the woods at Tatton, it was a relief to see large drifts of them closer to home.

There were also large patches of wood anemone.

White is such a hard colour to photograph up close but I finally found this one in a patch of shade so that I could capture the detail.

I loved how this old tree stump had been colonised by lots of different plants...

...including this pink purslane.

It's also wild garlic season and it was growing in abundance. I liked this little patch looking out over the brook.

And here it is with the flowers partially open.

We weren't alone in the woods as a pair of wizards were quietly making their way through the undergrowth, minding their own business.

More pretty flowers. This is red campion - yes, I know it's pink but I didn't make up the names!

And here's some delicate wood-sorrel.

And an even more delicate speedwell.

Last but not least, we saw our first ever squirrel in these woods. I'm sure there must be lots of them out there but they keep themselves well hidden.

I have to say that I'm no wild flower expert so if I've got any of the names wrong please let me know! I looked them up in my field guide and then cross-referenced against a wonderful web site, English wild flowers: a seasonal guide. It tells you month-by-month which flowers to look out for and has lots of pictures from different angles to help you identify them.

In other wildlife news, the first ducklings have appeared! This proud pair have produced a baker's dozen (13). We've been excitedly watching for the first brood to appear for the last week or two and I was at work when I received a text from Chickpea with the simple message 'Ducklings!!!!'. Needless to say I rushed out to have a look as soon as I got home.

I now have two whole weeks off work and am so ready for the break. Unfortunately, it seems I'm coming down with a cold which is just TYPICAL! The silver lining is that at least I should be over the worst before we go to Verona. For now though, I'm off to sit outside with a brew. Enjoy your weekend. x