Bright and beautiful: Spring blooms across North West

Rumeana JahangirNorth West
Dixy Bright yellow flowers cascade down a gentle slope with two masts in the background distance under a blue cloudless sky.Dixy
This Northwich landscape in Cheshire is among the scenes brightening spirits

Spring has well and truly sprung after the longest of UK winters and the burst of bright flowers and blossoms across north-west England has brought joy to nature-lovers and photographers.

From bluebells and daffodils to cherry blossom and roses, the region has come alive in an outpouring of colour.

Here are some some the most striking images captured by readers, BBC Weather Watchers and also one of our own camera crews.

benjisnapper A mass of white flowers blossom next to vivid purple flowers in the sunshine.benjisnapper
Bold contrasting colours capture attention in Keswick, Cumbria
Bluebells on a green slope on the left, next to a path leading to the honey-coloured two-storey mansion at the top of the slope in the background. On the right is a small crisscross wooden footpath bridge. In the background on the right is the tall brick chimney next to the mill.with trees in front and around.
Bluebells bloom at Quarry Bank's gardens in Cheshire
StirCrazy A red-orange butterfly with markings that look like blue eyes on both wings is perched with wings spread out on bluebells. A blue cloudless sky is in the background.StirCrazy
A peacock butterfly feasts on flowers
Seaside walker me A three-storey Georgian palladian mansion with high windows stands in the centre background behind a large garden. Trees, shrubs and flowers line a central path with a white stone pillar in the foreground. Some clouds can be seen in the bright blue sky.Seaside walker me
The gardens of Lytham Hall in Lancashire provide respite for walkers
A carpet of bluebells spread across woodland among slender tree trunks in Speke
Nearly half the world's bluebells are found in the UK, according to the National Trust
Jane Yates A black labrador looks over her right shoulder at blue flowers and green shrubs in front of a tree with a pink tulip in the foregroundJane Yates
A dog enjoys the view in the Lancashire village of Wrea Green
Lovely Lovage Yellows flowers blossom in a field with some green trees on the left. Jet trails can be seen in the blue sky overhead.Lovely Lovage
There's yellow as far as the eye can see in Heswall, Wirral
A man in dark top and trousers takes a picture on his mobile of bluebells growing amid trees in the woods.
Walkers take pictures of a bluebell trail near the Tudor-era Speke Hall in Liverpool
Monica Naughton Crimmins Yellow, purple, white and orange flowers can be seen in the shade next to trees. The main Victorian stone building of the universite basks in setting sunlight on the other side of the road.Monica Naughton Crimmins
The colours have come to urban environments too, as these flowers outside the University of Manchester show
John Bent A woodland path with blue bells in the shady front and green shrubs, tree trunks and red flowers in the sunny backdrop.John Bent
The woods near Lytham Hall provide a bright escapism
Pink blossom shrouds tree branches on both sides of a path arching overhead.
Pink blossom blooms at Fog Lane Park in Didsbury, Manchester
Green and pink buds on a shaded tree seen overhead against a blue sky.
The setting sun casts a wistful shade in Cleveleys, Lancashire