Category Archives: wildflowers

Woodland wildflowers

27 Sunday Mar 2022

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Earlier this week I walked to one of my local woodlands to check what wildflowers were in bloom. The sparse scattering of Wild garlic flowers and just one plant with open Bluebells were a little disappointing but the carpet of lush plants under the trees held great promise of the beauty to come. The Wood anemones, Lesser celandine and Opposite-leaved golden saxifrage were a delight, as were the other wildflowers dotted here and there. I’m already looking forward to my next visit.

Fritillary

20 Sunday Mar 2022

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When the word fritillary is not being used to name a butterfly, it refers instead to several species of flowers, members of the Lily family, in particular the gorgeous Snake’s-head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris). Interestingly, the Oxford Dictionary gives the following explanation of the word’s origin: ‘Mid 17th century from modern Latin fritillaria, from Latin fritillus “dice box” (probably with reference to the chequered corolla of the snake’s head fritillary).’ I was surprised to find several Snake’s-head fritillaries in flower today, in a location I’ve not seen them before, almost certainly planted rather than wild but beautiful just the same.

220320 snake's-head fritillary

Modestly cheerful

13 Sunday Mar 2022

Posted by in nature, spring, wildflowers

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‘Modestly cheerful’ – this is how Richard Mabey describes Common whitlowgrass (Erophila verna) in Flora Britannica. He continues: ‘The small white flowers are amongst the first to appear in March, and are followed by seed-pods a little like miniaturised versions of honesty’s.’

220313 common whitlowgrass (1)

He also explains that the name is due to the plant’s use by medieval herbalists to treat whitlows, not a medical condition I was familiar with but which the Oxford Dictionary defines as ‘an abscess in the soft tissue near a fingernail or toenail’. I don’t recommend a Google image search as the condition looks quite gruesome, but these wildflowers, often present in large massed displays, are a delight.

220313 common whitlowgrass (2)

New Year Plant Hunt 2022

02 Sunday Jan 2022

Posted by in wildflowers, winter

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It’s on again, the New Year Plant Hunt, running from 1 to 4 January inclusive, so you still have time to join in and help the BSBI (Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland) ‘build up a clearer picture of how our wildflowers are responding to changes in autumn and winter weather patterns’. Click HERE for more information on how to join in and to see past years’ results.

My little video shows the 31 species in bloom I managed to find during an extended meander around my town in coastal south Wales. Some flowers are looking a bit raggedy after a lot of recent rain but the lack of really cold temperatures so far this winter means there are still a lot of wildflowers a’flowering.

U is for unidentified

26 Sunday Dec 2021

Posted by in fungi, insects, lichen, wildflowers

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This post is really an acknowledgment of my lack of knowledge – everything shown in the photos below remains unidentified, and these are just some photos I’ve kept. Most photos get deleted once I’ve spent a little time trying to put a name to their subject, but failed. It may sometimes seem as if I can put a name to most flora and fauna I see but that’s definitely not the case. And I’m okay with that. I don’t need to identify everything – in fact, unless I’m searching for something specific, it’s often much nicer simply to look and admire, be amazed and enjoy.