The magnolia trees have come into bloom recently and are putting on a really lovely display. The soft pink tones of the flowers and the sap green shoots look beautiful against the clear blue sky.

In the woods Graham makes a discovery in the form of a curious plant flowering at the base of an Alder. A little investigation reveals it to be Toothwort, a parasitic plant with no green at all - no chlorophyll. There's a nice description of this plant and its habits on www.the-tree.org.uk.

Once again, the signs of spring abound, pussy willow against a blue sky and the first lambs have started to appear in the "big field". The woodland remains largely free of leaves though here and there you can make out a faint dusting of leaf colour. The Scots Pines certainly stand out from the crowd at this time of year.

The lack of leaves gives us a very clear view through the woodland where a carpet of bright green, new Ramson leaves covers the ground.