Bracken

Today's lunchtime walk in Lickey Woods was the most enjoyable of the year so far. There have been signs of spring for a while, but today for the first time it felt like the woods were bursting into life.

Leaves and blossom are appearing on many of the trees, the bluebells are close to flowering, and the woods were full of the sound of birdsong. The bracken is beginning to grow too. I love the way the fronds grow like this, ready to unfurl and scatter their seeds.