27 Wednesday Oct 2021
Posted in plants, wildflowers
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Pod: [Oxford Dictionary] An elongated seed vessel of a leguminous plant such as the pea, splitting open on both sides when ripe.
And, below, some examples, to show the huge variety in size and shape, colour and form.
24 Sunday Oct 2021
Posted in autumn, flowers, wildflowers
As this autumn has been very mild, the verges and paddocks, woodland rides and footpath edges are still full of blooming wildflowers. It’s a delight.
19 Tuesday Oct 2021
Posted in autumn, flowers, wildflowers
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autumn-flowering Cyclamen, British wildflowers, cyclamen, Cyclamen hederifolium, naturalised Cyclamen
What a fabulous sight these flowers were during a recent meander around one of Cardiff’s cemeteries!
These are Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium), which may once have been a single bulb planted on a loved one’s grave by a grieving relative that have now spread and become naturalised, a common occurrence in the churchyards of southern Britain. They certainly brighten up the autumn landscape with their gorgeous subtle shades of lilac and purple.
Why Sowbread? Well, according to the National Records Scotland website, ‘It is often referred to as sow bread because the corms looked like small loaves and were thought to have been favoured by pigs in the wild.’ The website is worth a look for the other interesting information it provides.
17 Sunday Oct 2021
Posted in autumn, flowers, plants, wildflowers
A celebration of seed heads, plant life of the future . . .
26 Sunday Sep 2021
Posted in wildflowers
I seem to be seeing a lot of toadflax in flower at the moment – both Purple and Ivy-leaved are flowering in the lane behind my house, the former adorning the edges, the latter sprouting from niches in the old brick walls, and I spotted a lot of the yellow-flowered Common toadflax in bloom along the coastal path yesterday.
And, during another of this week’s walks, along a route I’ve only visited once before, I found a new-to-me species – this is Pale toadflax (Linaria repens). (You can read more about it on the excellent First Nature website.)
19 Sunday Sep 2021
Posted in autumn, wildflowers
All the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of yesterday. ~ Italian proverb
09 Thursday Sep 2021
Posted in insects, wildflowers
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British bumblebees, Buff-tailed bumblebee, bumblebees, bumblees snoozing on flowers, Common carder bee
On grey and gloomy autumn days, it’s always cheering to see the bumblebees still out and about, even if sometimes they’re actually snoozing on their chosen flowers.
05 Sunday Sep 2021
Posted in autumn, wildflowers
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Autumn Lady’s-tresses, autumn-flowering orchid, British orchids, native orchids, orchid, Spiranthes spiralis
A botanical treat I look forward to at this time of year is the final show of native orchids for the year, the delicately formed and perfectly named Autumn lady’s-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis).
When I first started visiting Cosmeston Lakes Country Park only one small clump of these little beauties was known but a couple of years ago another much large colony was discovered. I didn’t do an exact count but there were easily 30 stems, many not yet open, and probably more obscured by the other wildflowers.
They grow perilously close to a children’s playground area and are in constant danger of being trampled so let’s hope they survive to bloom another year.
29 Sunday Aug 2021
Posted in flowers, wildflowers
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bright summer wildflowers, British wildflowers, late summer wildflowers, yellow flowers, yellow wildflowers
A selection of the wildflowers in bloom during these last weeks of summer – last week, my video featured flowers of more mellow, subtle hues; this week, you’ll need your sunglasses as these are the brights!
Featuring Agrimony, Bird’s-foot trefoil, Bristly oxtongue, Creeping buttercup, Creeping cinquefoil, Dandelion, Fleabane, Gorse, Honeysuckle, Meadow buttercup, Meadow vetchling, Melilot, Mouse-ear hawkweed, Nipplewort, Ragwort, Scarlet pimpernel, Smooth sow-thistle. Tutsan, Wild parsnip, Wood avens, Yellow corydalis, and Yellow-wort.
22 Sunday Aug 2021
Posted in flowers, wildflowers
A selection of the wildflowers in bloom during these last weeks of summer – this week, those of more mellow, subtle hues; next week, I’ll feature the brightly coloured flowers.
These are Bramble, Broad-leaved willowherb, Burdock, Daisy, Everlasting pea, Great willowherb, Hedge woundwort, Hemp agrimony, Knapweed, Large bindweed, Marsh woundwort, Meadow crane’s-bill, Mint, Oxeye daisy, Purple loosestrife, Red clover, Red valerian, Rosebay willowherb, Sneezewort, Tufted vetch, White clover, Wild carrot, and Yarrow.
earthstar 
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