First Wildflowers in Bloom

The race to be the year's first true wildflower in bloom is always won by the gorse, whose flowers seem now to be out in larger and larger numbers right through the winter.

Since I don't include daffodils and snowdrops because their characters are largely human controlled, the race to be second is usually won by lesser celandine, and the best place locally to find it is....

....on the bank between Back Road - so called because it runs along the back of Golspie village - and the railway line. Happily, this morning, the....

....first flowers were out, though still slightly closed after a chilly night.

The first tree flowers are also out, in the form of hazel catkins.

In the insect world, while some small flies and midges have appeared in warmer moments, I hadn't expected to see the first bumblebee of spring but, encouraged by bright sunshine and a temperature touching 15C, one was very active on our pansies, another 'artificial' plant which flowers through the winter.