District, spring is a dynamic

time of returning life. After

the cold, steely skies and short

daylight hours of winter, its arrival is

a welcome relief.

As the emerging plants shake off

the chill, fresh colour begins to

saturate the landscape. However,

warm days are often followed by

cool nights, and frosts are still felt

late into the season.

On higher ground, the last vestiges

of winter cause heavy frost that can

persist all day in valleys and dales

where the sunshine does not linger.

Another sign of the weather's fickle

temperament is sudden downpours

that swell rivers and streams.

However April showers depart as

quickly as they arrive, giving way to

radiant sunshine. Light, heat and

water are Mother Nature's formula

for stimulating growth, providing the

fuel for the plant world's cycle of

renewal.

With the sun's warmth comes the

promise of longer days. Wildflowers

begin to emerge from their

hibernation. Perhaps the earliest of

these to be found in the area is the

wood anemone, closely followed by

wood sorrel, greater stitchwort and

ramsons, also known as wild garlic.

All these plants have white flowers

and prefer broadleaf woodland and

riverside habitats.

Of all the plants to awake in

spring, surely the most iconic and

well loved is the native bluebell. This

delicate plant arrives as early as April

and flowers throughout May. It is

often profuse in the Peak District's

woodland, where if left undisturbed,

it forms carpets that weave their way

through the trees.

The transition between winter and

spring can feel like a protracted

process. Broadleaf trees remain

poised for a long time, heavy with

swollen buds, waiting for the right

moment to unfurl their leaves.

When they do, the skeletal

silhouettes that haunt the winter

landscape are transformed into leafy

habitats for wildlife, especially birds

and insects.

They range from mature

specimens, such as the centenarian

oaks that produce fresh foliage even

after most of the trunk has rotted

away, to the woodland floor, where

new saplings push through the

previous autumn's fallen leaves.

On the area's moors, the change is

marked in different ways. Brackens

landscape. ¦