Woodland and wildflowers

Just to let you know if you haven't already seen it, I've added an About Chateau Moorhen page on the right just below my profile photo - this gives some info about us, the grounds and a map of our property.

In between the showers I've been getting out and taking photos in my little woodland area. It's slowly coming to life and getting greener by the day. Once all the leaves are out it becomes a dark mysterious place but at the moment it is still quite bright and light so the woodland spring flowers are flourishing.

The same trees (wild cherry on left, sycamore on right) from a different perspective. The wild cherries are flowering now but it's very hard to take photos as I can't get far enough away as there's always another tree in the way!

There are mown pathways and open glades which make a relatively small space appear larger as there's a choice of different paths to walk around. 

I don't know what these tiny flowers are,
but they provide pretty blasts of lime green colour here and there.

Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) with
Ground Ivy in the left foreground

Thanks to the sun coming out suddenly the woodland appears to have turned brooding and quite menacing. I was trying to show the tree in the centre which is a dead Elm which long ago succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease but is much loved by birds for nesting places as it's full of holes. The one thing I'm disappointed about with my camera is that the zoom on this compact is not much good for photographing birds. One day I'll get a DSLR and make myself a little hide, as there is so much bird life here. Of course I'll get even less done in the garden then!

I have bluebells too! They may not be the English bluebells but I love them. There's also the odd pink one in amongst them.

A few weeks ago I noticed loads of tiny stripy spiders scuttling around in amongst the dry leaves (this was before the weather broke).

Another common wildflower is Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea). It's been flowering on the ditch banks out in the sun for longer but just coming to life in the shadier places. It's one of my favourite spring wildflowers.

Greater Stitchwort blowing in the breeze

A close up, just as this flower is getting a bit tatty
and the seed pod is forming

Looking up at the canopy coming to life.

And, as it's on the woodland side of the lake.... Moorhen nest no. 2!