Sign of spring?

Despite the frost and snow and sleet, I found a Willow with catkins beginning to show:


"Which Willow?" I hear you ask. "A hybrid", I reply.

First flowers

I can always guarantee that the first flowers of the year will be some Lesser Celandines at the edge of the stream under the Ash trees. Although it's dark, the area is south-facing and sheltered.

Cold start to 2009

I'm still investigating the Pine needles, and on my latest trip I glanced over my shoulder for some reason and saw this fox examining my footprints in the snow:

Not much of a shot, but the camera always has the macro lens attached and the fox was 100m away.