Spotting flowers growing wild in the South East
Viola riviniana around Sussex in early April In the first five days of April I have spotted Common dog violet, Viola riviniana, in three places in Sussex. This might indicate the relaxing of lockdown as much as anything else! This violet is more delicate looking than the often earlier Sweet violet. It is usually found…
Spring plants in bloom Staying local this March, I have been on lots of short walks in and around Seaford. I looked back on my blog post from this time last year and noticed that a few things I’d spotted then aren’t yet in flower. Plants I thought I might see but haven’t spotted in…
On a visit to New Milton in Hampshire last October, we walked along the coast and inland in the New Forest. Flora of the coast near Hurst Castle Hurst Castle is near New Milton. There was plenty of vegetation growing in amongst the pebbles, although not so many flowers. I did spot Sea campion –…
Wildflowers in the Kingsbridge area It was glorious to get out and about with Mike in the sunshine in the campervan after lockdown! The area we visited was in the South Devon Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). We stayed just outside Kingsbridge so had a walk across a few fields to get into town, and…
Wildflowers of September On my usual half-hour health walk I passed through the Last Meadow (a dog walking field on the outskirts of town) and found a few interesting plants that weren’t in flower when I last visited in June. Possible Tall melilot – Melilotus altissimus I haven’t seen tall melilot before although I was quite confident…
Last August we visited the river Thames We camped by the riverbank and went on nature walks We took our campervan to a campsite by the river in Chertsey in Surrey and found a spot that was great for watching groups of canoers taking on the weir for sport. It’s a lovely area and there…
Blooms on Kent field and river margins Mike and I took our campervan to Marden in Kent soon after the first lockdown finished, and went on a lovely walk amongst the orchards and fields. Flowers of the field margins We followed footpaths across fields between orchards. Mayweed Mayweed was a common presence but I haven’t…
More Summer flowers on the North Kent Coast Following on from my previous post visiting Reculver, I walked back to Herne Bay town along the seafront. There is a broad swathe of exposed sloping grass, scrub and wildflowers between the beach and the sea there called The Downs. Lucerne – a new favourite flower I…
Summer flowers on the North Kent Coast Reculver is a grassy clifftop on the North Kent Coast just a few miles East of Herne Bay. I went for a lovely walk there in July with my big camera amongst swathes of rippling wild carrot and swooping sand martins. New to me – Tansy flowers and…
Flowering in my Sussex garden this summer Following on from my similar May blog post about garden wildflowers, here is what was in flower a month later. White herb robert – Geranium robertianium This continues my theme of what is a weed and what is a wildflower? My friend Mercy sent me this plant, which…