I come from a country whose trees in winter are mostly evergreen, less than 5% of the native trees are deciduous. In contrast, Scotland is full of naked trees in the winter, grey and lifeless until spring, which makes the coming of spring more dramatic.
One of the first signs spring is on the way are the crocuses, little buds of colour that pop up amongst the snowdrops before blanketing lawns, verges and banks in a mass of yellow and purples. Soon come the daffodils, a definite sign that things are about to warm up.
Soon after, the bluebells appear just as the leaves and blossoms begin to clothe the bare tree branches. I love it!