As I walked through the woods at the end of March things did not seem much different than the end of February. However on looking closer, the wood is full of the flowers of one of its most numerous plants. Golden Saxifrage is a plant of damp and marshy ground where there is continuous movement of water. It is therefore well suited to Roundball. 
The plant forms a mass of vibrant acid green around the many springs in the centre of the woods and along the woodland pathways. It is also a plant that deserves a closer look. Opposite Leaved Golden Saxifrage, to give it it's full name, is one of the woods smallest flowers being only 2-3mm across the flower head. It is also unusual in that it is a flower with no petals. The yellow colour comes from the stamens and the bracts, which are what supports the petals in other plants. It generally flowers from April to June, but as the South West is milder than the rest of the country it can be seen in Roundball from mid March and is one of the woods earliest flowers
Looking around the borders of the woodland I found individual flowers of Campion, Lesser Celandine, primrose and Dandelion but nothing in the numbers of Golden Saxifrage. So if you don't mind getting even muddier, get down close and appreciate one of Roundball's most numerous plants.
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