The Foot and Mouth Crisis is continuing and much of the countryside is not open to the public.

So again this month, much of what we can see will be from the roadside, gardens, rural towns and villages.

April is always associated with rain showers. Unwelcome I am sure since it seems it hasn't stopped raining since last October. With the coming of spring the countryside is becoming a buzz of activity, with early insects feeding on the numerous flowers coming out. The birds are singing too, as they pair up and start building their nests. Animals are also finding mates and young badger cubs, born in January,will be leaving the security of their tunnelled sets and coming above ground for the first time in their life.

This month if you are lucky you may hear the Cuckoo as it arrives from its migratory flight from as far away as Africa. Coincidentally with the arrival of this bird the Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis) appears along our roadsides. It also is known as Lady's Smock because of it's resemblance to milkmaids smocks in days of old. This pretty pink flower is a member of the Cress family and prefers wet areas like meadows. Towards the end of this month the Orange Tip butterfly will be seen flying around and this butterfly lays its orange eggs on this plant.
Look out for the pale yellow flowers of the Cowslip (Primula veris). This plant is also called the "Bunch of Keys" because legend has it that St Peter dropped the keys to Heaven's gates and when they landed the Cowslip sprang from the ground and species has spread ever since. It's thought the flowers resemble a bunch of keys.

Another yellow flower that you can see on pond edges and beside streams is the Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris). This plant has dark green shiny heart-shaped leaves. It is also known as "King Cups" because the old English name for button was "cop" and the flower resembled the kings buttons.

Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) is a beautiful flower that has naturalised in a number of woods but is more commonly found growing in gardens. It has a mixture of pink, mauve and blue flowers on the same plant. There are white speckles on its green leaves. It is believed that it was introduced to this country because of its medicinal properties that aid in helping those with breathing problems.

Also at this time of year you may see Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis) coming out from hibernation. It will not be long before they are pairing up and mating. Although this species looks initially like a snake it is infact a legless lizard. It has eyelids like other lizards and a notched tongue not a forked tongue like a snake. It also has an effective method of escape from predators. It is able to release its tail end, which wriggles a lot and looks like a more interesting meal to tuck into. This usually allows the Slow-worm time to slip a way forgotten and to live another day.

Next month May, Butterflies and Bluebells.