It has been an extraordinary spring. It seems that whenever I write about the growth of farm crops, I start by describing extreme weather, perhaps we need to redefine what we expect from our climate! But this spring has brought a very dry, sunny but cold April followed by a drenching but still cold May. All sorts of records have been broken yet again.

At least wild spring flowers have enjoyed the weather as primroses, dandelions, buttercups and bluebells have all had a bumper year. One suggestion is that when a plant is under stress, especially if the season is late, it may send up more flower heads in the hope of seeding whilst it can. By mid-May, with waterlogged, very cold soils, the season seemed about three weeks behind normal. It is amazing how quickly nature can recover and the recent dry sunny weather has enabled growth to catch up. Even ticks seem to be around early in large numbers.