Spotting flowers growing wild in South East UK
Viola flowers are a sweet Spring treat This lovely little flower face has a beautifully sweet fragrance and is blessedly common here in Sussex. They are often seen on grassy banks, but this one was photographed in flat rough grass by the side of the road. I love to crystallize and eat cultivated violets, which…
Two flowers spotted on a February walk along the Seven Sisters Belle Tout lighthouse is on the South coast of Sussex, just West of Eastbourne. As it was one of the first sunny days of the year, Mike and I decided to take the kids for a walk. We parked at Birling Gap and walked…
White balloon-like wildflowers Spotted in an open patch of long grass next to the footpath, this white flower has a bulbous calyx and flowers which are about 2cm across. The leaves are apparently prized as a vegetable in Spain.
I love the tiny blue flowers of speedwell Each short-lived flower is about 1cm across and sky blue in colour, with a few flowers per spike. There is a white centre, and it has prominent stamens. The flowers are so eyecatching among the fresh green grass. In the language of flowers it is associated with…
Britain has been beset by storms for what seems like weeks, and today was the first sunny day in a while. We live on the South Coast, and the world and his wife seemed to be on our local seafront today to catch some rays and assess the damage. The steps and breakwaters were covered…
Mike and I work mostly from home, so have tried to set out a routine to make the most of being our own bosses. After various conversations along the lines of “We really ought to do more fun stuff during the week”, we instituted Wednesday Walks and Foodie Fridays. You can see the results of…
Daisy flowers have many names This common white flower with an iconic yellow centre is known common daisy, lawn daisy, English daisy and bruisewort. I hear that historically it was traditional to mash up flowers & apply to broken veins in face to improve complexion. I have no idea whether this has any modern validity!…
Stitchwort – a tiny white flower This tiny white flower with pretty orange anthers is common in Sussex, to the extent that I wasn’t going to photograph it until my daughter insisted. The flowers are about 2cm across, and we found the one photographed below in an open area, growing alongside a concreted footpath. Stitchwort…
Walking in the South Downs National Park Here is an article I wrote last summer about a local walk. It is June and I am sitting at the top of Seaford Head I am perched above the 100ft white cliffs, about 15ft from the edge. I am not sitting on a bench, but straight on…
Mike asked for a storm kettle for Christmas I must admit I didn’t know what one was. I did a little homework and found out it is a kettle small and handy enough to be taken on hikes. You light a fire at the bottom of a small metal chimney which is double-walled to contain…