Spot the spring blossom

Here I am posting on 1st March 09 and our suburban garden is showing some definite signs that spring is here. Apparently spring "officially" starts on 21st March. Most years this is roughly true, although it seems to be coming earlier and earlier each year. I don't think that the date of 21st March is particularly accurate as the transition between winter and spring is gradual. But as far as I can tell, the long winter is over and spring is beginning!

The best way of telling if spring is underway in our garden is the blossom on our apricot tree. At the moment, the blossom is just coming out and soon, the tree will look very white and very fluffy. So far, the tree still looks quite bare, but the pictures below show that the tree is just starting to reveal its colours. It shouldn't be too long before the tree has leaves again, and it won't seem long until summer- or am I getting ahead of myself!

The colour of a spring garden is probably my most favourite part of the plant year. The bright white of the blossom really does stand out. I bet many of you are seeing some colour changes in your gardens too. Maybe not on a tree but in some early flowers, you will be sure to find some interesting colous at this time of year.

The close up picture of the blossom directly above has got to be my favourite. Its often not until you get a close up view like that that you notice the other colours in just one twig of blossom. The reds and greens, browns and pinks are shown too. Some even brighter colour are shown in other flowers in the garden at the moment, notably the Jasmine flower below. They definitely brighten up the shady area of the garden. Hopefully the bees talked about in my last posting will like these flowers too.

The birds are acting very "springy", and many of them are already paired up for the breeding season ahead. As far as I can tell, we seem to have a pair of Robins, Dunnocks, Great Tits and of course the Blue Tits which are currently visiting our camera nestbox. Also seen this morning was an extremely fast chase involving 2 male Greenfinches, possibly fighting over a female or a territory.

The Song Thrush is still visiting the garden, and a quick visit from 2 Long-tailed tits (which could also be in a pair) and a Wren tooking for insects under vegetation on the ground. I wonder if the group of around 5 House Sparrows currently visiting the garden at the moment will nest near our garden again this year. Its all very exciting stuff!I reckon that,since I live in Southern England, the spring action will be a little ahead of northern England and Scottish gardens at the moment, but I wonder what you can see on 1st March 09!

All photos taken in my garden on 1st March 09