January officially marks the start of snowdrop season, so depending on your location and the weather, they may already be flowering right under your nose!

Between January and March, snowdrops begin to cover our gardens, woodlands and fields. A welcome sight that to brighten our dull winter days, and indicate that spring is near.

Snowdrops, or Galanthus nivalis in Latin, translate exactly as "milk flower of the snow", and celebrate the first signs of new spring life, a sign of hope.

The flower, though delicate in appearance, has a hard tip bud that allows it to push through the cold, frozen ground in winter. Their sap also contains something to protect against frost.

Whilst this December and the start of January has certainly been cold, our milder winters over more recent years has meant that snowdrops have begun appearing earlier.

They have been spotted as early as the start of January, when they were once tied to late February.