"June Blossom"

Hawthorn ( in folklore the thorny bush from which Christ's Crown of Thorns was made) is probably the commonest hedgerow plant in rural UK, forming field boundaries, fence lines and along roadsides. Ecologically, although common and generally taken very much for granted, the hawthorn is extremely important, because the red berries that follow the flowers in autumn are a very important food source for thrushes and other species. Last year there were severe late frosts that killed most of the blossom of hawthorns and blackthorns widely across the UK - resulting in a dearth of berry food for birds. All the winter visitor thrushes from Scandinavia - the redwings and field fares as well as waxwings, in addition to our native species, had no food - resulting in a fairly major ecological disaster.
Happily, this year things are much better. The blossom in all the hedgerows is profuse and they are ablaze with white - promising a good autumn and lots of winter feeding on sloes and haws. We did have an extended winter, with late snows and deep frosts in March and April, but the hedgerow plants reacted by coming into flower very late and thus escaped the damage that hit so hard in 2012. Isn't nature wonderful!
The hawthorn flowers are traditionally called "May blossom" in England, which is when they normally flower, but this year I have christened it "June blossom".