Out for a drive today, i noticed a lot of pink and white blossom is out. I don't think it's cherry trees or apple trees. Does anyone know? I have an inkling that it's hawthorn - and maybe Maythorn if I haven't totally made that up? Any views would be welcome. Thanks
Likely cherry trees! Although there are a lot of ornamentals of varying descriptions in blossom right now.
As for your Maythorn!!
Blackthorn is just about in blossom just now- the leaves tend to appear once the flowers have faded- this is the small tree that tend to be more apparent in hegdes- it is a member of the Prunus (plum) family and this is the one that is covered in Sloes come autumn.
As for the Hawthorn- this is commonly known as May- as it tends to flower in May- well after the leaves are established.
Thanks all. I've done a google image for hawthorn and blackthorn and it is them. Thanks for the magnolia suggestions, but I know that one and although they are budding now, that isn't what I was thinking of.
Tis a bit early for both blackthorn and hawthorn. I would imagine the flowers you have seen are from flowering (ornamental) cherries such as prunus cerasifera.
The white blossoms you saw today may well have been the blackthorn, it's one of our earliest flowering native hedgerow shrubs, it flowers in march and sometimes as early as february.
The hawthorn usually flowers in may, round about the 11th, interestingly when pope Gregory changed the calendars in 1582 from the old julian to the present gregorian, what is now the 11th of may was the 1st of may prior to 1582.