Alder Catkins

One of the more interesting trees I have seen this winter is the Alder, with its catkins and cones decorating the leafless branches, providing a feast of shapes in silhouette against the patchy grey sky of late January.

Just a few weeks later and the catkins have filled out; from a different angle and with the morning sun bringing a rich intensity to the colours, the same tree is almost unrecognisable: 

I'm certainly not in a hurry to see the leaves appearing on these beauties, when the winter branches are so beautifully adorned.