Monday, May 03, 2010

White on grey

Today, Bank Holiday Monday, was showery and cold.  Great dark clouds rose up to the east of our garden showing off to perfection the flowers on the wild cherry (Prunus avium).  As Housman wrote "Loveliest of trees, the cherry now/is hung with bloom along the bough,"

20100503 Prunus avium South View 5

Cherry trees are the subject of a 3-year survey being organised by the Natural History Museum, though they are largely interested in garden cherries as part of a general interest in the significance of gardens for biodiversity.   See here: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/british-natural-history/tree-survey/index.html

20100503 Sorbus aria leafing South View

Also foregrounded by the clouds and sunshine were the opening leaf buds of whitebeam (Sorbus aria).

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