This time of year is always my favourite. When I see spring flowers blooming, I know summer is on it's way and that makes me very happy.
In recent months, I've been trying to learn some elements of photography in order to get out 'Auto' mode. So, I've been experimenting with different aperture settings and this photo was taken with an aperture setting of f/5.6
In regards to the tree... "the specific name spinosa is a Latin term indicating the pointed and thorn-like spur shoots characteristic of this species. The common name "blackthorn" is due to the thorny nature of the shrub, and its very dark bark." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_spinosa)
Steepshot