Cosmeston lakes: April 2023

After weeks, and weeks, and weeks of rain, the sun finally shone. Just in time for the Easter weekend – hurrah! So off we stroll/rolled down to the lakes to get some sun, Spring air, and increase in our allergies saying hello. Everything looked so splendidly green and fresh, so we didn’t mind.

An overview of the lake looking across the water to the lakeside cafe. Some trees are just coming into leaf and are bright green, others yet to do so. The sky is blue and it looks like a beautiful Spring day.
The Eastern Lake, looking towards the cafe.
A patch of Primula vulgaris, common Primrose. They are small pale yellow flowers with a darker yellow centre and sit close to the ground amongst the dead leaves of last season.
A patch of Primula vulgaris, the common primrose.
An overview of Eastern Lake. The camera is looking directly towards the sun, so whilst the scene looks a bit dark and the sky cloudy, it's just how the brightness of the sun is reflecting the scene this way. In the middle distance you can see the sun is glistening on the water.
The camera is looking straight at the sun, so whilst it looks overcast, it wasn’t. I was trying to capture the glistening of the sun on the water. You can see it there in the middle distance if you squint. This is the Eastern Lake.
Two Snakes Head Fritillaries, which are purple-pink flowers with a checkerboard pattern.
Two Fritillaria meleagris, just over the fence in the Medieval Village.
A view of a lake framed by some trees that are just starting to come into leaf, in the forground. In the background is the lake, and behind it are small hills of trees not yet in leaf. The sky is blue with wisps of white cloud. It's like a looking through a window to the lake.
A ‘window’ onto the Western Lake.
Some purple violets, though the flowers are trying to hide in amongst it's green foliage.
Some Viola odorata being shy about showing their faces.
A collection of white Blackthorn blossoms with some green foliage just starting to emerge.
Prunus spinosa, Blackthorn, blossom.
Two trees that are so closely entwined that you would think they are the same tree. However, the one further back is covered in white flowers and is the Blackthorn, whilst the one more forward is covered in young green leaves, and is the Hawthorn. The Blackthorn flowers first, with no leaves on it's branches, whereas the Hawthorn goes into leaf first, and only then does it's white flowers emerge.
A Blackthorn and Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) trees quite entwined. The Blackthorn flowers before the leaves come out, the Hawthorn flowers after the leaves come out, a few weeks later. That’s how you tell the difference!
A patch of Celandine flowers, which are very bright yellow with deep lush green foliage.
Ficaria verna, Lesser Celandine, part of the buttercup family. The glow of the flowers is wonderous.
Close up focus of two yellow flowers. The sun is shining so brightly on the petals that some parts look white. The flowers are surrounded by lush green foliage.
Lesser Celandine up close.
A path through a wood with blue sky poking through. The trees still don't have many leaves out yet, but some on the lower branches have just come out and are bright green.
A path through Cogan Woods.

Have I said how wonderful it is having this on our doorstep? It is wonderful, it really is.

See also: Postcards from Penarth: Cosmeston Lakes, August – December 2022

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