Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem

I took the car into the garage, despite the fact that the warning light didn't come on this morning! After some discussion, the mechanic agreed that it probably wasn't worth paying for an investigation if the engine was running OK, but that I should monitor it and book another appointment if the warning light re-appeared. So, rather surprisingly I was home within the hour.

I'd already cancelled my afternoon meeting, so instead Chris and I went on a trip to a couple of local woods to find flowers for him to photograph. Our first stop was Old Sulehay Forest, where we found plenty of toothwort, his target species. Wood anemone (see extra), primrose and early dog-violet were all in bloom, giving a proper feeling of spring.

We then went on to Bedford Purlieus to hunt for yellow star-of-Bethlehem, a rare species that I've seen in Lincolnshire but not locally. We took a rather indirect route to the spot, walking through an old clay pit full of hairy violets. I wasn't entirely optimistic that we'd find any of the star-of-Bethlehem flowering, and the first clump we found was indeed flowerless. But then we found the main colony, covering an area of about 20m x 20m, with about 25 flowering plants. Chris was enchanted by this beautiful species, which almost looks too exotic to be British!