GORSE! How many of us give the familiar spiky bush with golden-yellow flowers a second glance?

But in 1736, on a visit to England, the famous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus is said to have ordered the coach in which he was travelling across Putney Heath to stop.

Alighting, he fell on his knees and bowed before the massed bushes and thanked God for such a wonderful display of his ‘golden gorse’.

Folklore also pays homage maintaining that ‘when gorse is out of bloom then kissing has to stop’. Furthermore, ‘while gorse is in flower then Britain will never be conquered’.

So, we have no need to worry on either count for gorse blooms throughout the year, being at its radiant best in late spring and summer.

Also known as furze or whin, the shrub grows best on acid soils and heathland.

When I was knee-high to a daffodil I saw my first ever red admiral butterfly sunning itself on a gorse flower and was captivated by the exquisite combination of colours.

I remember that moment vividly and believe it acted as one of the triggers to begin my lifelong interest in the natural world.

The flowers are a major source of nectar for some insects including bees which pollinate it. Some smaller birds nest within the impenetrable foliage, which offers a safe haven and at one time gorse was planted as a hedge to contain livestock.

So, why not give gorse that second glance on a sunny spring day.