Woke

As you can see from this photo it was a dark and dreary day, but I still found several signs of impending spring as I walked around the garden this afternoon:

A carpet of snowdrops in the rose bed.

Early crocuses coming into flower.

A number of flies of various kinds, though none of them especially interesting or photogenic.

Several pairs of my favourite Oxystoma pomonae weevils on the move from their winter roost sites - or at least the females on the move, carrying the males which seem determined to hang on at all costs. Presumably this is now more about mating rights than shared body heat.

This single 7-spot ladybird, out of diapause and looking for food.

On a less happy note, both ponds are warm enough for the blanket weed to be multiplying - already! - and the roses need pruning. I dosed the ponds with barley straw extract, but turned my face firmly away from the roses: the garden will need to be offering more by way of enticement than flies and the odd ladybird if it wants to persuade me into doing actual work in it.