Flowering around the town

This month, either side of my big campervan holiday I wandered around my Sussex hometown to see what wildflowers I could find.

Early June blooms on Seaford Head

On a hot early summer day I went for a walk looking for Twayblade orchids and found a Common Spotted orchid at the same time.

Common spotted orchid – Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Twayblade orchid – Neottia ovata

White bryony – Bryonia dioica

On the way home I found this Bryony growing in the pavement.

In my garden

Creeping cinquefoil – Potentilla reptans

There is Creeping cinquefoil growing in my patio – it was coming into bud in early June.

In the streets

Pale purple toadflax – Linaria purpurea / repens

This Pale purple toadflax was very eye-catching. I have read that Purple Toadflax is much more common than Pale but isn’t stripy – perhaps this is a garden escape or a hybrid? The shape says Purple however.

Fox and cubs – Pilosella aurantiaca

There was a whole sunny bank of Fox-and-cubs.

The Last Meadow

This popular dog-walking field was filled with wildflowers. As well as Ox eye daisies, there was Black medick, red and white Clovers, Agrimony and Melilot.

Ox-eye daisy – Leucanthemum vulgare

Black medick – Medicago lupulina

Rosebay willowherb – Chamaenerion angustifolium

This plant is also sometimes known as Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium.

Dog rose – Rosa canina

Apparently Dog rose is easily confused with Field rose Rosa arvensis, whose flowers are always white.

Pyramidal orchids – Anacamptis pyramidalis

The photos don’t do justice to the sheer number of Pyramidal orchid flowers I came across – I guessed at about 400 in the lower end of the field. Fabulous!

 

This year was a good year for orchids.

Find out more about how I identify orchids.

Here is a link to some good places to find orchids from the Wildlife Trusts.