Elder trees fall victim to very bad press

MARCH has, in general, been rather harsh this year. Where I live it snowed on St Patrick’s Day. As a result I have been searching for signs of spring with a little more desperation than usual.

One of the most reliable heralds announcing the end of winter is the elder tree.

Even in the cold midlands they come into leaf before the end of February, the very first of our native trees to do so.