Blackthorn

Prunus spinosa - the ancestor of our cultivated plums. Not a lot of this down the lane but this little patch was brightening up a gloomy day. It is in full flower along many local roadsides so I think I will be searching elsewhere for my sloes (gin - mmmm!).

The small white flowers have long stamens and are a vital source of early nectar for bees. It flowers on bare branches before the leaves come out - a good way to distinguish it from hawthorn which flowers after the leaves have opened.