Wood Sorrel, Birch and Oak

Spring slowly penetrates on higher ground and the wood floor is one of the first places to find it. There's not a better and more perfect example than the Wood Sorrel with its triple leaves and its opening and closing white flower.

But some parts look little different to March. Here the Birch is well behind those in the valleys while bilberry leaves are showing green leaves and flowers too.

The real test that seasons have changed is on the native oak. Having clung on to its dead leaves through much of winter the tough outer layers of the leaf buds remain protecting the tender growth inside. It's often not till late May or even early June that it finally commits itself. On one youngish oak I've watched the weekly progress of Spring through many years.

This is what it looks like now: