Winter 9 plus

23 Sunday Feb 2025

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British wildflowers, wildflowers in bloom, winter wildflowers

As poet Robbie Burns wrote ‘The best laid schemes … gang aft agley’, and such was my experience this week. I’d planned to go for a long walk today to search out as many wildflowers in bloom as I could but the weather has intervened, with forecast strong wind and heavy rain warnings. So, here are nine flowers I grabbed in a short walk yesterday, though I didn’t photograph all I saw. I know, for example, that Petty spurge, Groundsel, one of the bittercresses, Snow drops and Three-cornered leek, as well as Ivy-leaved toadflax, were among those I missed. Still, it was nice to see my first Sweet violets of the year and a little Red dead-nettle, and there’s always next Sunday …

Winter 12

02 Sunday Feb 2025

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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

First Snowdrops

26 Sunday Jan 2025

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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.

And still the wildflowers bloom

05 Sunday Jan 2025

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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.

Winter 27

01 Sunday Dec 2024

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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.

Winter 18

28 Sunday Jan 2024

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British wildflowers, winter wildflowers, winter wildflowers in bloom

January’s weather has been all over the place. First, we shivered through a week of colder than average temperatures, then two wild and windy named storms blew away what few flowers had survived the cold, and now our weather is milder than usual. As a result, our flora (and fauna) seem confused about whether it’s winter or spring, and finding wildflowers in bloom has been hard work this week. However, after walking my patch for several years, I know where the more sheltered places are and so have managed to find 18 wildflowers in bloom.

240128 wildflowers (1)

Just in case you don’t recognise them, these are: Daisy, Dandelion, Field speedwell, Gorse, both the female and male flowers of Hazel, Hoary mustard, Ivy-leaved toadflax, Lesser celandine, Mayweed, the white-flowered version of Pink campion, Primrose, Sea radish, Snowdrop, Sweet violet, Three-cornered leek, Wild strawberry, and Winter heliotrope.

240128 wildflowers (2)

Winter 16

07 Sunday Jan 2024

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British wildflowers, January wildflowers, winter colour, winter wildflowers

The wet and windy weather may have passed but now it feels more like proper winter, with daytime high temperatures in single digits. Still, there are wildflowers to be found in bloom, some that we would usually see in a couple of months time rather than this early in the year. These sixteen are those I found on a walk around the outskirts of my town yesterday and this morning.

240107 winter16

Winter six

22 Sunday Jan 2023

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British wildflowers, Daisy, dandelion, Field speedwell, wildflowers in bloom, Winter heliotrope, winter wildflowers

After a week of hard frosts and bitterly cold winds, it’s not surprising that I’ve found very few wildflowers in bloom. Indeed, I’m rather surprised to have found any. But those I have found seem to be particularly hardy plants and are wildflowers I’ve previously found during the winter months. They are Daisy and Dandelion, Field speedwell, Gorse, Sun spurge, and Winter heliotrope.

230122 winter six

New year, new plant hunt

08 Sunday Jan 2023

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British wildflowers, New Year Plant Hunt, wildflowers in bloom, winter colour, winter wildflowers

I flagged the forthcoming New Year Plant Hunt in a post last week, hoping to encourage those of you in the UK to include wildflowers in bloom in your new year rambles. From all reports, the hunt went well but, as was my experience, the numbers of wildflowers in bloom were quite low this year, due either to the December cold snap or, locally, both the cold and the lingering rain. I managed to find 15 flowering species during this week’s walks: Common field-speedwell, Daisy, Dandelion, Field scabious, Gorse, Groundsel, Mayweed, Narrow-leaved ragwort, Red dead-nettle, Red valerian, Shepherd’s-purse, Sea radish, Winter heliotrope, Sun spurge, and Yarrow.

230108 wildflowers

New Year Plant Hunt, 2023

29 Thursday Dec 2022

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#NewYearPlantHunt, British wildflowers, New Year Plant Hunt, wildflowers in bloom, winter wildflowers

The BSBI’s 12th New Year Plant Hunt runs from 31 December 2022 to 3 January 2023 so, if you’re at a loose end on one of those days or you’re looking for a reason to get out for a walk, look no further than this fun and important hunt for wildflowers in bloom. The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland uses the data from this nationwide plant hunt to research the effects of climate change on our local flora and, as a citizen scientist, your contribution plays an important part in their research. You can read more about the hunt and events happening throughout Britain and Ireland, find out how to record your finds, and where to get help with identification on the BSBI website. Do please join in if you can.