The springlike day happened yesterday. All the celandines that had been slowly accumulating as burst buds, but not yet worth opening up, woke up to the warmth & sun to produce carpets of yellow on the roadside verges. Likewise the primroses, whose flowers took over the leafy clumps in the roadside woodland as much as on the verges. I spotted 3 carpets of dog violets by Pathlow that were about a metre wide. Add in a couple of patches of roadside wood anemones and lots of blackthorn blossom much further open than the hawthorn leaves, but had been under wraps, plus a few dandelions. It was spring in a hurry; I struggle to remember a year of such spectacular spring roadside flowers.
Meanwhile, first chiffchaff was doubted - I still think it was a great tit improvising - but later 4 other songs were unmistakable. We heard 3 skylarks confidently proclaiming their territories.
This morning the suburban birds were singing enthustically. The flowers had shut up shop. They were wise - it rained.