Most weeks I carry out a voluntary river patrol in Craiglockart and Colinton Dells alongside the Water of Leith. This is a beautiful area of ancient woodland that is looking particularly lovely at the moment. Some of the cherry trees are in full bloom at the moment
Some of the larch trees are also in full bloom, though their flowers are much more likely to be overlooked. If you look closely at a larch tree, you may be able to find these pretty flowers:
In the undergrowth, the Lesser Celandines are in flower too, though in shady areas, they're only just in bud. This patch gets a lot of sun!
I saw my first butterfly of the year, this Peacock, which seems a bit faded, so is likely an individual that hibernated over the winter.
It was a day of firsts in fact! I heard my first Blackcap of the year and my first Willow Warbler! These summer migrants join the Chiffchaffs, which arrived back from Africa a few weeks ago. I also saw my first Dark Edged Bee Fly, which sadly didn't pose for a photo.
Grey Squirrels were running about all over the place, but only this one allowed me to get close enough to take a good photo!
2 comments:
The trees are beginning to bud out here, too. And there are lots of the smaller flowers that bloom before the canopy closes in that are in bloom now.
I spotted my first butterfly, too! It's one that overwinters, though, so maybe not SUCH good news!
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