Spring shoots and leaves

I'm always putting pictures of primroses on here, because they are so pretty, but here are a few of the other early shoots of woodland flowers just peeping through.  Let's start with the first to appear, Cuckoo Pint, also known as Lords and Ladies, Wild Arum, Parson in the Pulpit, Parson's Pintle and many other names.  It will develop those strange flowers with a green hood in April followed by a stick of poisonous, red berries in autumn.  Recognise it now by the arrowhead shape of the leave, which are sometimes spotted black.

Next up is Goosegrass, Cleavers or Sticky Willy, with its velcro foliage.

Hogweed is showing already

And so is Cow Parsley

  

And of course the ubiquitous stinging nettle

I'll finish with a pretty one.  Bluebells are on the increase at Filnore.  

They won't be in flower till next month but the bunches of spiky leaves are easy to spot.  

These are opposite post 19 under the big beech tree.