Herald of spring and the timely townhall clock

Wolsingham, Weardale Whitlow grass marks the spring flora advent as moschatel unfurls its luminous green clustersThree warm days in a row and the longed-for spring had arrived. In a week there would be drifts of wood anemones and primroses everywhere, but on this day I went in search of two of the supporting cast in the annual floral pageant.I saw the white flowers of whitlow grass (Erophila verna) as I climbed over the stile in the wall. Here it grows on meadow ant nests on a south-facing slope