The Darling Buds of January

Poddling down into the town last week I began to notice that the trees may be bare, but not devoid of life. It was good to see that things are still happening in Nature and new life is already showing signs of preparing to burst forth in a few weeks time.

I think the black buds in the top picture are Ash. The rather stunning pink catkins are the male alder ones and will turn yellow as they mature. For anyone wanting to have a crack at identifying any buds themselves this chart it a godsend for a beginner like me!
https://www.microcosmic.info/2016/03/go-buddy-go-go-go.html?fbclid=IwAR0nIKIHoJxwB1KPWeiCdYWWRIcr6iueNvBjmZ4LRnvQfMWk-3oeUWzZtSI

Arilx