• ABOUT
  • BIRDING 2018
  • Birding 2019
  • BLOG POSTS
  • Butterflies 2018
  • Resources

earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Tag Archives: Bog pimpernel

The Pimpernels

21 Friday Jul 2017

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, plants, wildflowers

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Anagallis arvensis, Anagallis arvensis ssp. foemina, Anagallis tenella, Blue pimpernel, Bog pimpernel, British flora, Lysimachia nemorum, pimpernel, Scarlet pimpernel, Yellow pimpernel

For Floral Friday this week I bring you the Pimpernels.

170721 Scarlet pimpernel

First, the pimpernel flower many of you will be familiar with, Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), also known as Old man’s weathervane and Poor man’s weatherglass due to its habit of shutting its petals when the weather becomes wet or dull. (I imagine they will be very firmly shut against today’s wind and rain!) The flower also functions as a timekeeper as it opens its petals around 8am and closes them at 2pm, even when the weather’s fine.

170721 Blue-flowered Scarlet pimpernel (1)
170721 Blue-flowered Scarlet pimpernel (2)

I only learned quite recently that the Scarlet has a subspecies, the Blue pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis ssp. foemina). This is supposedly quite rare and mostly found in southern England, though the one in my photographs is growing in my friend Hilary’s south Wales garden.

170721 Bog pimpernel

As its name suggests, the Bog pimpernel (Anagallis tenella) prefers watery places, marshy areas and soggy peat bogs. Its delicate pink flowers sprinkle the ground like petals under a blossoming cherry tree.

170721 Yellow pimpernel

There is also a yellow-flowered pimpernel – you guessed it, the Yellow pimpernel (Lysimachia nemorum) – that is commonly seen in established deciduous woodland and alongside shaded streams. Although it carries the name pimpernel, this lovely little plant is actually a separate genus and is more closely related to plants like Creeping-Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) and Yellow loosestrife (L. vulgaris).

How many of these lovely pimpernels have you managed to see?

Like this:

Like Loading...

Birding at Lliw Reservoirs

25 Sunday Jun 2017

Posted by sconzani in animals, birds, insects, nature, trees, walks, wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, Bog pimpernel, Foxgloves, Glamorgan Bird Club, Grey wagtail, Lliw Reservoirs, Red kite, slow-worm, Tormentil, Victorian dam, Victorian ironwork, Whitethroat

170625 Lliw Reservoirs (3)

I celebrated the solstice with an outing with my Glamorgan Bird Club buddies to Lliw Reservoirs north of Swansea or, perhaps that should read, I sweated through the solstice – it was one of the hottest days of the year and the middle of a mini heatwave. Still, you know what they say about mad dogs and Englishmen (and Welshmen and a Kiwi) …

170625 Lliw Reservoirs (1)

It’s a superb location. The two reservoirs were built in the second half of the 19th century, and still supply water to communities throughout south Wales. We only walked up one side of both reservoirs, through broadleaf woodland and then out onto open areas of grass and scrub and moorland, but there’s an 8-mile circular walk, which would be brilliant in cooler weather and includes large open commons of heath moorland on the hilltops.

170625 Lliw Reservoirs (2)

We heard more small birds than we saw (but that’s helping me learn their songs); buzzards and magnificent red kites were soaring overhead; we heard then saw the elusive grasshopper warbler in flight; dragonflies and damsels and the odd butterfly flitted about; and there were lots of lovely wildflowers (my particular favourites were the foxgloves, tormentil and bog pimpernel). Oh and, most importantly, the locals were friendly and the cafe serves delicious ice cream!

170625 Whitethroat
170625 Tormentil
170625 Slow-worm
170625 Lliw Reservoirs uplands
170625 Peacock
170625 Red kite
170625 Foxglove
170625 Grey wagtail
170625 Victorian ironwork
170625 Bog pimpernel
170625 Welsh sheep
170625 Pines & foxgloves

Like this:

Like Loading...

About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

View Full Profile →

Follow earthstar on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent blog posts

  • The Brimstone, the vetch and the ants May 20, 2022
  • Cool cats May 19, 2022
  • A migrant returns May 18, 2022
  • A crow companion May 17, 2022
  • Another new leafhopper May 16, 2022

From the archives

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

COPYRIGHT

Unless otherwise acknowledged, the text and photographs on this blog are my own and are subject to international copyright. Nothing may be downloaded or copied without my permission.

Click on the category

'Dedicated Naturalist' Project 365DaysWildin2019 amphibian animals autumn birds coastal fauna flowers fungi geology insects ladybird leaves lichen mammal molluscs nature nature photography parks plants reptiles seaside seasons spiders spring trees walks weather wildflowers winter

Fellow Earth Stars!

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • earthstar
    • Join 564 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • earthstar
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d bloggers like this: