Great parts of the wood turn white, especially on a sunny day, when the flowers of the wood anemones are fully open to catch every ray of sunlight. Every day is different in the wood. It is wonderful to see nature flourish. If you can come to wood only once, for the bluebells, you need to have some patience still.

There’s nothing as peaceful as an early morning in the forest, when even a roe deer might be seen. Last week’s showers have left their trace on the wild daffodils. Lesser celandine is flowering on the edges of paths where there’s more light, low on the ground you can see its yellow stars and kidney-shaped leaves. After a quiet night, the flowers of wood anemones are waiting for the sunlight to open. In a few bluebells, deeply hidden and safe between the leaves, flowers buds are ready, waiting for the first warm days.

The bluebell’s leaves colour the forest floor green, but there aren’t any flower buds or flowers yet. Day after day, more flowering wild daffodils can be seen. In the edges of the wood, blackthorn and willow trees are blooming. The willow trees’ male yellow catkins stand out. The ground flora is getting colourful with yellow flowers of coltsfoot, that appear on leafless stems, as the leaves will only appear later; a few white flowers of wood anemones and a few blue flowers of dwarf periwinkle hidden between their dark green leaves. In the morning, you might even encounter a roe deer when there aren’t many visitors and dogs. Spring has started for real, it’s wonderful to walk in the wood on a sunny day.

The first wild daffodils are blooming. The leaves of wood anemones appear and on warm, sheltered places, even their first white flower buds can be seen. Blackthorn is flowering along sunny edges of the wood, its snow-white flowers appear before its leaves. The beautiful, small female flowers of hazel with their carmine stigma can be seen; its yellow, mate catkins are more conspicuous. The willows’ white catkins appear. Cornelian cherry is flowering abundantly. In the wood, under the beech trees, young leaves of bluebells pierce through last year’s brown beech leaves. In the conifers, squirrels chase one another. There is the sound of great tits, nuthatches, bramblings, finches, song thrushes, woodpeckers and buzzards. When dusk falls, the spooky ‘oohoo’ of the male tawny owl sounds through the wood. Spring is arriving, and the wood is there to be enjoyed.