Spring in Kettlewell.

Orchis mascula The early purple, not new to my list but always pleasing to see. Tim found one on our walk, he was in front at the time, you can't miss the violent purple spike, and I confidently predicted there'd be lots. Luckily a few hundred yards later we found over 100 plants. If they like an area they go mad, but you can't persuade them you grow where you want them.

Devil's matchstick, Cladonia floerkeana, a particularly nice little lichen, very widespread if you look out for it.

Horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastaneum, beautiful from its earliest sticky buds to its glowingly shiny conkers.

Mother thrush, Turdus philomelos, guarding her treasures. Why the genus name? No idea except it's Latin for thrush. The philomelos is "loves song" from the lady in Greek mythology who had her tongue cut out to stop her revealing a crime, and was turned into a bird, sometimes a thrush, sometimes a nightingale. And below, her little treasures. A quick shot with a good telephoto lens so as not to upset Mum.

This one wasn't so lucky. R found the poor little thing half out of it's shell on the path. I think it was/would have been a plover. You can see its little white egg-tooth very clearly.

I think this is a true oxlip, Primula elatior, rather than the false oxlip, a cowslip/primrose/primula cross btu the Plantlife website suggests the distribution is totally wrong. I've posted it on iSpot for more expert opinions, I'll update for anyone interested.