One of the first hints that spring is stirring comes from the flutter of a lemon‑yellow butterfly.

Each spring, one of the most enchanting sounds drifting through woodlands, parks and gardens is the gentle, cascading song of the willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), which sings its melodious…

Along hedgerows and woodland edges in early spring, an explosion of delicate white flowers against a backdrop of spiny branches takes place. This is blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), a familiar yet…