Despite the recent cold weather there are definite signs of spring in the air. Great tits are starting to sing their characteristic "teacher" call, and snowdrops and winter aconites are starting to flower around the car park and our office, adding a welcome splash of colour to the sometimes cold and damp days here at St Abb's Head. Winter aconites are not native to the UK, and are known as "spring ephemerals", meaning that they only grow for a short period of time, in this case early in January and February, and then die back to just their underground parts during the rest of the year. January might seem like an inhospitable time to flower, but this allows the aconites to flourish in the light on the woodland floor, before the trees get their leaves, blocking out the sunshine. Lizy

Winter aconites near the car park