Plum, 梅

All those dark cold days after the New Year's holidays we long for warmth and light. And then, suddenly, there is Plum. The blossom came early this year. The first images are already 2 weeks old.

Japanese White-eye, メジロ in a  Plum tree, 梅

Officially spring starts on the 1st day February. Visiting birds start leaving then. I look out for ducks' courtship displays. Magpies and Shrikes are flying by with presents. Some are already preparing a nest. But my days are still cold. I'm looking forward to hear the Uguisu sing.

After reading an article about Kofuji in Itoshima I went there to see the 3000 or so plumtrees. The  slope of Mt Kaya was filled with trees that produce the 'ume' for Japanese 'umeboshi' pickles and they were all in bloom. Their flowers are white and small. Pretty for the eye, not so much for the camera. The decorative plum trees that the locals keep in their gardens are much more photogenic. Below the result of a cloudy afternoon.