Tormentil, beech seedlings and spreading flowers

I found the first Tormentil flower (Potentilla erecta) this morning, looking somewhat wind and rain battered, but sturdily bright for all that.

Also some beech seedlings (Fagus sylvatica) in the earth behind the uprooted eucalyptus tree. I'm hoping one of them will survive and grow into a tree but they will have to run the gauntlet of roe deer nibbling unless I give them some protection. Deciding whether to thin them now or later is the next issue...

Between spots of rain I managed to get a pic of our late narcissus. I'm calling it My Sister's Narcissus because this year it started flowering on her birthday, 12 May. There are now five clumps of it from an initial two and they are not all near each other.

A May narcissus

Bluebells are spreading too. These, just beginning to flower, are on a northwest-facing bank and only get sunshine in the late afternoon. I found two new plants round the bank corner on the bit that faces northeast this morning. My practice of not mowing certain areas until flowers have set seed is paying dividends! I found a single bluebell quite far into the field too this morning and immediately imagined how awesome it would be if they covered a largish area. Fingers crossed the farmer doesn't mow until September like last year.


At the bottom of the same bank Devil's-bit Scabious grows near the base of a downy birch tree. They have also spread round the corner and are establishing themselves in the shade of Toad's boat across the garden in the east corner as well. Pictures anon. They don't flower until later in the year.