Perhaps A Bit Too Early

Sunny, around +8. A bit warmer, because of still weakening easterly wind.

We were in our allotment garden a couple of hours. Weeding unwanted ground cover plant from a certain place and beginning the spring pruning of the many huge hydrangeas after the winter.

Outside the allotment area near the the porch I discovered the European wild flowers, wood anemones (Anemone nemorosa). They're the first I've seen flowering this spring, and also a bit too early. There wasn't any other flowering yet around in the places where they are every year. In many places, also in our plot, ground is still frozen. These flowers were closed when we were on the way to the plot in the noon, the place was still shadowy and the early morning temperature had been around zero. When we bypassed them in the afternoon on the way home, they were in the light sunshine and so, open as you see in the picture. If you look very carefully, slightly from the center towards the upper right corner, you can also see a ladybird by the twigs. The second one I have seen this spring, the first one was on our window inside, at home.

Here in Finland the wood anemone's flowering time is from May to June. It's associated here with Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. It's flowering progress is followed in Finland, like the coltsfoot and common hepatica, as one of the first blooming wild plants in spring. Also I participated it by reporting this early observation. The wood anemone is protected in more nothern parts of Finland.

Thanks to Miranda1008 for hosting WFW23, a very important topic of nature.