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

earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Tag Archives: British wildflowers

Winter 12

02 Sunday Feb 2025

Posted by sconzani in flowers, wildflowers, winter

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British wildflowers, winter colour, winter wildflowers, winter-flowering wildflowers

Some sub-zero overnight temperatures have knocked back many wildflowers but I was pleased still to find these 12 species in flower.

The first of this year’s Cow parsley, Creeping buttercup, and ever reliable Daisy

Dandelion, Field speedwell (I had to wait for some sunshine for these to open), and glorious Gorse

Groundsel, Honeysuckle (barely, but I’ll take it), and Lesser celandine

Primrose, Shepherd’s-purse, and the deliciously smelling Winter heliotrope

Like Loading...

First Snowdrops

26 Sunday Jan 2025

Posted by sconzani in flowers, wildflowers, winter

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British wildflowers, signs of spring, snowdrop, winter wildflowers

The snowdrop and primrose our woodlands adorn,
And violets bathe in the wet o’ the morn
~ from Robert Burns’ poem ‘My Nanie’s Awa’, translated in to modern English

Have you seen your first Snowdrops yet? I spotted small clumps in two locations this week, surrounded by mud rather than snow, but they were still heartwarming to see.

Like Loading...

And still the wildflowers bloom

05 Sunday Jan 2025

Posted by sconzani in wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British wildflowers, wildflowers in bloom, winter colour, winter wildflowers

We’ve had torrential rain, light sleet showers, and heavy frosts, as you can see from the Daisy below.

250105 daisy

And still the wildflowers open their delicate petals and brighten up my walks with their welcome pops of colour and dainty flowers. I found those shown below this past week so, strictly speaking, they’re not all from 2025, though I imagine most have survived this week’s wild weather.

250105 wildflowers x12

The wildflowers above are Bramble, Dandelion, Gorse, Hoary mustard, Lesser celandine, Meadow buttercup, Primrose, Ragwort, Red clover, Sun spurge, Winter heliotrope, and Yarrow.

Like Loading...

V is for vetches

27 Friday Dec 2024

Posted by sconzani in wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British wildflowers, Bush vetch, Common vetch, Crown vetch, Grass vetchling, Hairy tare, Meadow vetchling, Tufted vetch, Vetches, vetchlings

Wildflowers haven’t yet featured in this countdown so today’s post seeks to remedy that omission (you might think the letter W would be the obvious choice but that letter is already allocated to one of this year’s star species – can you guess which?). So, as these gorgeous members of the pea family are some of my favourite wildflowers, this year V is for vetch – and vetchling, and also Hairy tare as it’s one of the Vicia species.

241227 v is for vetch common

Common vetch (Vicia sativa)

241227 v is for vetch bush and crown

Bush vetch (Vicia sepium), left, and Crown vetch (Securigera varia), right

241227 v is for vetch tufted

Tufted vetch (Vicia cracca)

241227 v is for vetch meadow vetchling and hairy tare

Meadow vetching (Lathyrus pratensis), left, and Hairy tare (Vicia hirsuta), right

241227 v is for vetch grass vetchling

And, finally, my absolute favourite Grass vetchling (Lathyrus nissolia)

Like Loading...

Winter 27

01 Sunday Dec 2024

Posted by sconzani in wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British wildflowers, wildflowers in bloom, winter colour, winter wildflowers

Despite a cold snap, where even we who live in coastal south Wales saw light sleet showers, and then the blasting winds and drenching rain of Storm Bert, there are still a good number of wildflowers in bloom. These are the ones I’ve noticed this week:

241201 wildflowers (1)

Bramble, Cornsalad, Dandelion, Field scabious, Field speedwell, Gorse, Groundsel, Herb Robert, and Hoary mustard.

241201 wildflowers (2)

Hogweed, Ivy-leaved toadflax, Meadow buttercup, Meadow crane’s-bill, Musk mallow, Primrose, Purple toadflax, Common ragwort, and Red campion.

241201 wildflowers (3)

Red clover, Red valerian, Sea radish, Smooth sow-thistle, Tufted vetch, Wild carrot, Winter heliotrope, Yarrow, and Petty spurge.

Like Loading...

Perennial wall-rocket

24 Sunday Nov 2024

Posted by sconzani in plants, wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

autumn colour, autumn wildflowers, British wildflowers, Diplotaxis tenuifolia, Perennial wall-rocket

A new plant! As I’ve not been roaming far outside my local area this year, it can be difficult to find new plants to feature but, this week, I struck lucky as I had one of those ‘Oooo, that looks different!’ moments while wandering around Forest Farm Nature Reserve.

241124 perennial wall rocket (1)

I haven’t had this confirmed but I’m fairly certain this is Perennial wall-rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia). I found it growing on a spoil heap, a mound of dirt and stone chips and other wildflowers, which, from what I’ve read, is one of its preferred locations. It’s a member of the mustard family, and it seems gardeners also cultivate it as a vegetable, so I assume this particular plant has become naturalised, possibly from the nearby local allotments.

241124 perennial wall rocket (2)

Like Loading...

Winter 16 wildflowers

20 Wednesday Nov 2024

Posted by sconzani in autumn, wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British wildflowers, wildflowers in bloom

Those of us who love wildflowers are now checking each week to see which wildflowers we can find that are still in bloom. These are a selection of those I found when wandering around my local area last Sunday. I thought they’d make a nice cheery mid-week post, especially as the temperatures have now plunged towards winter levels and flower numbers will no doubt diminish accordingly.

241120 winter16

My image shows Bramble, Bush vetch, Creeping buttercup, Creeping thistle, Daisy, Dandelion, Field madder, Hedge woundwort, Herb Robert, Knapweed, Mayweed, Nipplewort, Pineapple weed, Ragwort, Self heal, and Sun spurge.

Like Loading...

The ones I missed

20 Sunday Oct 2024

Posted by sconzani in autumn, wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

autumn colour, autumn wildflowers, autumn wildflowers in bloom, British wildflowers

These are some of the wildflowers I missed from last Sunday’s mid-autumn wildflowers-still-in-flower video and have found during this past week, many found during a thorough walk around Cardiff Bay where the vetches, in particular, but also plants like Viper’s bugloss are still in bloom.

241020 goat's-rue

Goat’s-rue

241020 wildflowers (1)

Bush vetch, Common chickweed, Common cornsalad, Common stork’s-bill, Creeping cinquefoil, Crown vetch, Dove’s-foot crane’s-bill, Honeysuckle, and Lucerne.

241020 wildflowers (2)

Mayweed, Old man’s beard, Petty spurge, Prickly sowthistle, Scarlet pimpernel, Sun spurge, Tansy, Viper’s bugloss, and Wavy bittercress.

241020 rosebay willowherb

And, last but certainly not least, Rosebay willowherb, which I had to use my long lens to capture as it was growing down a riverside embankment.

Like Loading...

Mid Autumn wildflowers

13 Sunday Oct 2024

Posted by sconzani in autumn, wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

autumn colour, autumn wildflowers, autumn wildflowers in bloom, British wildflowers

For the past ten days or so, during my daily meanders around the local countryside, I’ve been on the lookout for any wildflowers still in bloom and, as we’ve only just experienced our first frost of the season and temperatures generally have been quite mild, many plants still have flowers, albeit, occasionally, on a very limited scale – a single Black horehound flower on the one plant I found, for example. Other plants, like Common ragwort, are still producing abundant numbers of flowers, much to the delight and relief of those insects still out and about. Here’s what I’ve found; I’m sure there are more that I’ve missed.

Like Loading...

Bumbles and Mallow

02 Wednesday Oct 2024

Posted by sconzani in insects, wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British wildflowers, Buff-tailed bumblebee, bumblebee, Common mallow

As it’s been grey here for several days, I decided to share a recent happy scene from a sunny day, a pair of bumblebees feasting on Mallow pollen. Let’s consider this a mid-week time-line cleanser. Tomorrow will see the return of the insects!

241002 bumbles and mallow

Like Loading...
← Older posts
Newer posts →

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

  • City Hall Peregrine January 12, 2026
  • Blackthorn in bloom January 11, 2026
  • Weevil: Mecinus pyraster January 10, 2026
  • Red in beak and claw January 9, 2026
  • Who’s watching who? January 8, 2026

From the archives

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.

Fellow Earth Stars!

  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar
  • Unknown's avatar

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • earthstar
    • Join 669 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • earthstar
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • 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