Project 365 day 95: flowering cones

This morning was bitterly cold, with repeated flurries of snow and sleet, but by early afternoon patches of sunshine were breaking through a somewhat stormy sky. I had always believed the rather overgrown conifer hedge which shields us from the road was Leyland Cypress (leylandii), and I'm not a great fan, though I appreciate the noise reduction: it's not a major road, but it's the thoroughfare along the valley, linking a string of villages between Folkestone and Canterbury, and can be quite busy. However, the Woodland Trust website indicates that these tiny red flowers are the female flowering cones of Western Red Cedar, which can live up to a thousand years and, I'm somewhat alarmed to read, can grow to 65 metres. I don't think I noticed them much prior to last spring, when I started on lockdown photography limited to my garden and immediate surroundings, but I love their neat intricacy and rich colour.

As well as taking a few photos, I sowed more seeds: leeks, spinach, chard, basil and oregano. Recent sowings of beetroot, Brussels sprouts and lettuces are all up, and P is ready to plant potatoes but will wait till it's a little less cold.