Don't miss out on the spectacle of spring

WHEN the lighter nights due to the clocks going forward coincide with a few clear sunny days, the impact can be dramatic.

- By ERIN MCDAID

The gloom of the long winter can be seemingly replaced overnight by the welcome brightness of spring.

Whilst, in reality, the transition is more gradual - with increasing numbers of trees and shrubs coming into leaf and a host of spring plants coming into flower the combination of the extra hour of daylight in the evenings and the simultaneous arrival of so many spring flowers can be spectacular.

This year seems like a great year for blossom and early flowering trees and shrubs such as camellias and magnolias and the ever-reliable blackthorn is beautifully brightening our hedgerows with a blanket of white blossoms.