There’s something about the Pea family, the Leguminosae. Maybe it’s because my Nana used to grow Sweet peas every year so I always associate their smell with good memories of time spent with her. Maybe it’s because my Dad always grew peas in his vegetable garden (though my brother and I often ate them straight off the vines before Dad could harvest them for a family meal) – also good memories of helping him planting and weeding. Maybe it’s just that their distinctive five-petalled flowers make the Pea family a little easier to identify than many other wildflower families. Maybe it’s just that they’re beautiful. Here are some that are blooming now here in south Wales.

These are Goat’s-rue (Galega officinalis), Hairy tare (Vicia hirsuta), Bitter vetch (Lathyrus linifolius), Bush vetch (Vicia sepium), Common vetch (Vicia sativa), Tufted vetch (Vicia cracca), Grass vetchling (Lathyrus nissolia), and Meadow vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis).