Wild Garlic everywhere and other signs of Spring

 In many places wild garlic (ramsons) is being crowded out by few flowered leek. 

This photo shows the two plants together (few flowered leek on the left, wild garlic on the right). 

 

The few flowered leek comes into flower earlier and has narrower leaves that soon turn yellow. The wild garlic has very distinctive flowers and wider leaves. 

It's very noticeable that wild garlic is still thriving in many parts of Colinton and Craiglockart dells along the Water of Leith. Here are some photos to show just how much of this lovely plant grows in some areas. In Colinton Dell (which is upstream of Craiglockart Dell and therefore at a higher elevation) the wild garlic isn't yet much in flower

while in the downstream area of Craiglockart Dell, more of it is in full bloom (though still not all of it) 

It's also lovely to see that large patches of lesser celandines are still in bloom 

and small patches of bluebells (which look like native bluebells or possibly hybrids with Spanish bluebells) are coming into bloom 

Crab apple trees, laden with lichens, are coming into bloom too

and the leaves on the beech trees are unfurling beautifully (all these photos below are of leaves on the sane beech tree and were all taken today!)

For Nature Notes.