The sun and higher temperatures bring a lot of bluebells to bloom. A few more warm days and there will be an intense purple-blue flower carpet in the forest. Flowering is traditionally slower in the valleys. Now is the time with both blooming wood anemones and bluebells and full sun on the forest floor. Hornbeams and limes are already well in leaf. The buds of the oaks are sprouting and it won’t be long before the first leaves appear. Between the tall beeches are some small, dominated beeches in leaf. The wispy fresh green leaves provide some color between the gray trunks.