Bright red against the blue sky!
They are not like the flowers on apple or pear trees, in fact, the petals remind me more of sea anemones.
I must admit, this is the first time I have seen the flowers of my hazelnuts. Last year I saw the photographs of these intriguing flowers on one of my favourite blogs, New Hampshire Garden Solutions. He sees everything! I was determined I was not going to miss seeing mine this year.
I think you will forgive me for missing them when you see the size comparison with the male catkins.
Once you have seen one they become obvious to spot but given that they are in flower now when it is cold and damp in the garden, I think that these unusual flowers will pass unadmired in many a garden.
Seeing my hazelnut flowers for the first time lifted my spirits during a cool, dull, damp week while I nursed my cold.
a french garden 
small, delicate pink stars — beautiful!
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They are really different and worth seeing. Amelia
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Just like sea anemones, you’re right. I hope your cold isn’t the horrible virus that has been awful for everyone, take care.
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I’m glad I did not miss them this year. I think I’ve got my cold beaten now. Amelia
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Yes, they are lovely. Some of mine are also opening, despite the low temperatures. They are so tiny but you have got some great close-ups of them. Hope your cold is getting better! 🙂
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They are worth going out in the cold to see. I think I am getting the better of my cold now. Amelia
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Amelia, I have never seen a Hazel in flower, that looks exciting! I really like New Hampshire Garden Solutions blog too, he always inspires me to look more closely when I am out walking.
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I can’t walk past lichens and mosses now without thinking he would find out what they were. Amelia
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Lovely close ups of such tiny flowers, and do hope that the weather, and your cold, lifts soon,
BW,
Julian
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Today is sunny and my cold is improving so all’s right with the world. Amelia
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Hope today’s rain didn’t get you down….
curse that nold…
sorry…
takes another sip of medicinal whisky…
nurse that cold!!
Wonderful macros… they are lovely flowers, are they not!!
Our male catkins haven’t started to lengthen yet…
but they are Webbs / Cobnuts / Filberts and they are always later than the wild hazels…
so the female flowers won’t have opened…
they follow the catkins very closely.
Another for you to look out for at this time of the year are the male and female flowers of the Larch… equally overlooked… but lovely early colour.
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I am not aware of any Larch trees nearby. I’ve had a look on Wiki and it certainly looks as if it is worth having a look at this time of year. Amelia
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I’m glad that you were able to find them. They really are beautiful little things and well worth searching for!
I know how small they are and how hard they are to get a good photo of and your shots are excellent. I can’t wait to give it another try myself, but it will be a while yet here.
Thank you for the blog mention. Take care of that cold!
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Thank you, I am not very patient with myself if I am off colour but I think the cold is retreating. Amelia
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Be cheered by those tiny little beauties. You’re on the threshold of spring. I’m jealous, as I look out at the snowy fields.
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It does mean we are on the threshold of spring and things are certainly starting to brighten up. They did cheer me up. I hope your weather picks up too. Amelia
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How pretty! I had no idea. The red color is so striking.The pattern on the bark is intriguing, too. There’s so much to see in nature if one is willing to look closely. Hope you’re feeling better soon!
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They really intrigued me the first time I saw the photographs. You are so right that there is so much to see in nature and, in addition, you never tire of it. Amelia
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Thanks for recommending the New Hamsphire blog, I’ve started following him.
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He notices the most amazing things! Amelia
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Beautiful!
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They are very special and a treat at this time of year. Amelia
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Having seen your pictures, I had a look at some of the hazel trees nearby and found the same red flowers – a revelation for me.
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It’s amazing how we can pass beside some things and never see them. Now you have seen them once you will always notice them in the spring. Amelia
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ahhh! We netted our hazelnuts this year – we’ve not had a hazelnut in 20 years… Possums have been helping themselves to both male catkins and the female flowers it seems as we’ve seen neither. No I know what to look for! Thank you Amelia
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*now
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I thought I better take some pictures of the flowers as I doubt whether the squirrels will share any of the nuts with us. There are not many around us but enough to make off with the hazelnuts. Amelia
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We will be looking for these flowers in July/August… Possums eat apricot flowers and apple flowers too – if only they realised what a treat they are missing. Lucky squirrels! Are squirrels protected?
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Thanks for sharing these, never noticed them before. Better keep my eyes peeled.
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It’s fun seeing something you have never seen before. Amelia
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They are like sea anemones aren’t they? You have keen eyes to spot them too.
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Not me, it was Alan from New Hampshire that alerted me! Amelia
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How beautiful the hazels are bursting into flower. No wonder they are irresistible to the bees.
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It has been raining so much the bees have not much of a chance to go for the flowers. This has been a bad spring here for the honey bees. Amelia
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Hopefully the year will improve.
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Great photos, they remind me of little sea urchins.
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They look very different but still have a simple beauty. You really have to get close up to see them properly. Amelia
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