Wildflower diary
May 2022
Germander speedwell, Long Common
Lots of things to see around the village in May:
You can't miss the vibrant blue flowers of green alkanet, growing everywhere, like a forget-me-not on steroids! This photo shows both species, with the paler and smaller forget-me-not at the bottom of the picture.
Alkanet and forget-me-not on Spring Cottage Green
The roadsides are now full of familiar cow parsley with its ferny leaves and delicate heads of creamy white flowers.
Yellow archangel, edge of woods, Lords Hill
Fringe cups, woodland edge, Lords Hill
Early purple orchid, Cucknells Wood
Eagle-eyed wildflower enthusiast Hen West spotted early purple orchids amongst the fabulous bluebells of Cucknells Wood. These orchids usually have splodges of dark pigment on their leaves (but not always!) and come in various shades of purple.
Cucknells Wood is really worth a visit, not just for the wildflowers but great for birds as well!
Yellow pimpernel, Cucknells Wood
Bugle, Cucknells Wood
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Herb Robert
Herb Robert is very widespread. It's a tough little plant, its leaves and stems oftening turning a red colour when growing in really poor conditions, and it is one of the longest flowering members of the Geranium family. Its pretty pink flowers are about the size of a 1p piece, and you might even find them in the middle of winter!
Red campion and dandelions
Goosegrass has been surreptitiously clambering up the plants surrounding it for weeks now, using its thousands of tiny hooks to cling on to anything and everything. Now at last it is flowering, tiny 4-petalled white flowers which will soon produce sticky fruits which firmly attach themselves to clothing and animal fur.
There are bright patches of Red Campion in the hedgerows and road verges , some with quite pale pink flowers but more commonly they are a rich deep pink colour.
Goosegrass, a.k.a. Cleavers or Sticky Willy
Cowslips, Bricklayers Green
Delighted to see the cowslips planted on Bricklayers Green last year are doing well, and the Camassia bulbs we put in at Lords Hill are giving a super display too.
