April 16, 2006. A large Maritime Pine tree (Pinus pinaster) was seen in flower today, with bright yellow flowers looking like old-fashioned Christmas tree candles at Easter. The large brown cones are much less conspicuous and overlooked before since they disintegrate on the tree. A search for cones and other parts of the species was made below other trees on April 10 and yielded a whole flower blown down on a twig bearing a cluster of needles, which has remained floating in sea water since that date. But the cones were only present on the ground as darker brown older versions of the picked cone discussed on April 7, which had split into quarter segments and had additional cracks extending in the same axial splitting direction through the scales. In this respect these mature cone fragments resemble the stranded cone found that day, and they also resemble it in lacking the spines seen on the middle of the scales of the picked juvenile cones. However, the Maritime Pine Cones do appear to be grown eccentrically on their attached twigs on trees than the stranded cone. Another indication of Spring at Easter this year is the Hawthorne (Crataegus monogyna Jacquin) leaves just opening and the similar-looking hedges of Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L., it is a type of Plum) with the white flowers out since at least April 10. The old Essex term for this blackthorn hedges row in full bloom was “snow in springtime”. According to the books both Hawthorne and the Maritime Pine are not due to be in flower until May, but the latter is clearly well ahead. The dry and cold winter supplied brown oak leaves to the beaches after rain on April 9/10.