What a morning!

It was almost like summer for a while when I was up on our neighbour's slope overlooking the nature reserve. I could even pick up the coconut smell of the flowering gorse. This shrub can be found in flower most months of the year in a sheltered, sunny spot, leading to the well-known country saying "When gorse is in blossom, kissing's in season".

The grassy area beyond the gorse used to be quite overgrown, but for the last few years we've grazed it with cattle. It is now looking superb with Horseshoe Vetch, the special food plant of the Chalkhill Blue butterfly, spreading nicely and large patches of both Autumn and Chiltern Gentians and the rare hybrid Gentianella pamplinii flowering in the late summer.

Beyond that is part of the reserve woodland which will be bursting into leaf soon if this mild weather continues. The bright green bluebell leaves are already 6-8 cm high in places and primroses are in flower.