Sensory swimming in April

This is what you can see, hear, smell, touch and taste at the water’s edge this month

See: blossom and spring blooms

Enjoy bright and cheery daffodils, bluebells and pink, white and purple blossom trees. A colourful reminder of the season and nature’s confetti.

Hear: the cuckoo

Listen out for the traditional sound of spring, the call of the cuckoo (top right). These birds arrive in April and leave in early summer. They are on the UK Red List species, which means it is even more special to hear their call.

Smell: gorse bushes

Those prickly plants (top left) that dot heathland and coastal cliffs, can be recognised by their egg-yolk colour flowers, but give the blooms a sniff and you can smell an aroma of warm coconut.

Touch: pussy willow

Pussy Willow (bottom left), a harbinger of spring, has soft, fuzzy, silver-grey catkins appearing before the leaves. They are furry and soft to touch. If you have a tree like this at home, cut some branches and place in a vase.

Taste: wild garlic

Wild Garlic (bottom right) is found in damp, shaded areas of deciduous woodlands, often near water sources. Collect the leafy plant on your way home and throw into salads, pasta dishes and sauces.