countryside · in the woods

A time of greening

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)

It’s amazing how quickly the countryside changes as Spring takes hold. A slight rise in temperature, a sprinkling of spring rain and suddenly there are bright green leaves everywhere. It is a time of blossoming too – Spring brings many beautiful floral colours but my favourites are the frothy white blossoms that so many plants both big and small have at this time of year; hawthorn (May blossom), horse chestnut, wild cherry, apples and pears, white nettle, cow parsley, daisies and ramsons all are looking their beautiful best right now.

I headed to Hobby horse wood near Hertford Heath in search of woodland anemones, but was too late to see them at their best – I shall have to visit earlier next year. But at the orchard nature reserve in nearby Tewin the woods were carpeted with wild garlic and the fruit trees were in full blossom and buzzing with bees and trilling with bird song – I managed to get a picture of the elusive tree-creeper, though his head is out of focus because he never seems to keep still as he spirals up trunks in search of small insects.

Spring is in full glory out there and as I’ve been wandering and enjoying the white blossoms on my walks, I’ve been hearing the words of this poem and appreciating its sentiment,

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.
Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.
And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.
A. E. Houseman, A Shropshire Lad 2

23 thoughts on “A time of greening”

  4. Loved the photos. Made me wish I could just go sit or walk in the area. Wish you had labeled the blossoms because some of them I didn’t know but would like to.

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  11. Such green and blossom beauty! Nature is Beauty, and you are always looking at her and… sharing its beauty with us 💚 🍀🌿

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  13. Beautiful photos. Thanks for identifying the flowers. I have seen most of them all my life but did not know all the names.

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  15. Beautiful beautiful photos – nothing more calming than green and white! Always want to press the pause button at this time of the year when everything is so fresh and vibrant- it always amazes me just how many different greens there are. Love the tree creeper and your choice of poem – a favourite of mine even before we came to live in Shropshire thirty years ago! Thank you Julie for sharing the photos and the poem x

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  16. Hi Marti and thanks, it is a lovely area. I should have popped a note at the bottom of the post to let you know that if you hover over any of the images a little title label will pop up and this will show the names of the various blossoms
    J x

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  18. Thanks so much for your lovely comment Doreen, it would be lovely to have a pause button wouldn’t it? Enjoy your Shropshire Spring – such a beautiful county, we’re currently pondering whether to move thee when Toby finishes school in 2 years time 🙂

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  22. I have followed your blog for a few years. I first fell in love with you little rabbits. Now I can’t wait to see your photographs. You describe everything so beautifully. I live in Highlands Ranch Colorado in the USA and everythng here is just starting to turn green. Thank you so much for your blog.
    Happy Mother’s Day!

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