A very mild weekend (17 degrees) was forecast and the roads looked busy, so we went to a quiet corner of the Lake District: Cartmel Fell. As we explored we saw some reassuring, colourful signs that Spring is on the way.
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| Celandine |
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| Drift of snowdrops |
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| Crocus |
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| More crocus |
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| Lakeland daffodils |
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| Petasites Japonicus (Giant Butterbur) |
The Butterburs look like an odd primrose but they are not; in fact they aren't even native to the UK, being normally found in China and other east Asian countries, so I've no idea how they found their way to this part of Cumbria. But there were plenty of them, growing apparently wild along the side of the road for about a mile or so at Strawberry Bank. In the summer they grow huge leaves about 3 feet across, similar to rhubarb, and look quite out of place on an English grass verge.
