Ghost leaves

The spaniel and I took to the woods this morning checking the route of the butterfly transect where we start recording next week. Saw my first brimstone butterfly for the year - a bright yellow male - but it was zooming along too fast for me to photograph.  The lesser celandine is now flowering, along with sweet violets and the occasional wood anemone. Spring is sprung but here and there young beech trees still cling to last year's leaves.