Spring bulbs: Eranthis hyemalis. Well, I'm calling it a spring bulb but its common name is Winter Aconite. I suppose the point is that Aconites (and Snowdrops and Early Crocus) all start to appear when there is a tangible sense that winter is heading towards spring. The days are noticeably longer, the air has a delicious freshness, the sun is actually warming at times.

 The Aconites seen here are in my back garden and I would like to say I look out on a carpet of them. Unfortunately I have planted them in various spots over the years and in only one place have a few established themselves (plus a handful in the front garden). I think that London soils are too heavy with clay for E. hyemalis. 

 They originate in Southern Europe where they are found in deciduous woods on calcareous soils. They have naturalised here and there in the UK in conditions which correspond to their natural habitat. For example the patch in Hertfordshire I described recently is undoubtedly a garden escape turned semi-wild. [see entry dated 1st. February]

 There is a common thread with these "spring" bulbs that flower at the tail end of winter. Crocus tommasinianus comes to us from South Eastern Europe and Galanthus nivalis may well be an introduction from the continent circa Norman times. I imagine they would have been prized for their early flowers at this point in the year when little else is in flower.