April showers (Coombe Wood)

Showers were forecast but the sun was streaming across the flower beds when I arrived

Two ducks were preening in the sunshine

Only a few of these had fully opened before but now the whole plant was covered

Leaves were lit up by sunlight

An idea of scale - tiny tulips in front of primroses

 A closer look at the tiny blue flowers

New growth in the prairie beds

Looking up inside the orange fritillaria that looked like a bunch of carrots on my last trip but has now opened

Pink blossom

Part of the leaf  of the banana plant that has broken through it's winter protection was blowing about like a flag in the breeze

 Lily of the valley - flower buds much more visible now

Magnolia 

The little pink bells - I found a way round to the back of this plant and managed to get a few better photos today.

 Acer flowers - so tiny and delicate

Different shaped leaves on another tree. Perhaps I need a book of trees - I might manage to identify some of them then.

The onion smelling plants that friends tell me are either edible wild garlic or a similar plant that is toxic - berries at every stem junction

 Red acer

Tree peony - the leaves are uncurling and the flower buds are shooting up in the middle

 Hawthorn blossom

Bright splash of colour among the bluebells and long grass . . .

Snakes head fritillary

Back to the flower beds. for even more colour

 White tulips pushing their way between all the magenta

Suddenly the heavens opened and for a moment white stuff fell like bobbles of polystrene before turning quickly to rain. Umbrella up, I took a couple more photos before heading home.

Flamboyant orange and red 

 Young ferns like decorative snail shells

Rain drop ripples filled the pond 

Thank you very much for joining me