Snowdrops

Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) in bloom.

Well... nearly in bloom!

 They needed just a bit of sunshine to open their flowers.

And here is a very tiny black spider sunbathing.

Wild Parsnip

A bit of hoarfrost and everything changes.

Dead umbels of Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) with still some fruits. This perennial plant can grow a metre or more. The roots survive in the soil, the plant grows and flowers in summer, and leaves and stems die in autumn.

Early in autumn the green-yellow color of the plant is still visible.

Like many other Umbellifer flowers, the small yellow flowers of Wild Parsnip are visited by black-and-red striped pyama bugs.

English Ivy

Two manifestations of English Ivy (Hedera helix).

An old chestnut tree has been completely covered by branches and leaves of English Ivy. Only a few parts of the tree come out of the thick layers of green vegetation. The tree is still alive but barely. In fact, the English Ivy does not strangle or parasitize it, but the tree suffers under the weight and the lack of daylight.

Here something completely different. Ground Ivy has found a vertical surface of a limestone rock and climbs it. In cold winter days its leaves turn red.

English Ivy gets its water and minerals from the soil. The little roots on its branches serve to attach itself to the rock surface. Its leaves can have many different shapes.

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. For all.