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1. Poppy, possibly 'sown' by the birds (is it perhaps a cultivated specimen?)
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We had a plumber working away on a leaking valve this morning so I thought it might be a good moment to do a quick wildflower audit in our wild garden to gain a snapshot of what is showing up as we approach the longest day of the year. It has been a particularly chilly spring so far in my part of Suffolk. To be fair, the temperatures have risen in the last couple of days, but the north-east wind continues to make its presence felt.
I may put in some effort to check names etc. in due course, but the purpose of this audit was really just to take a quick photo as a record of what I saw (with added input from David). If I can name the species, I will. I always struggle to identify yellow 'dandelion-like' flowers, including sow thistle, hawkweed and cat's ear ... do let me know if you recognise an unnamed plant. It may be that two of these yellow plant pics are actually of the same species ...
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3. Ribwort Plantain
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| 4. Daisy |
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6. Dandelion (with Thick-legged Flower Beetle)
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7. Herb Robert
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8. Small-flowered Cranesbill
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9. Knapweed (first flower opened today)
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10. Oxeye daisy
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| 12. Goosegrass |
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| 13. ?Chickweed |
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14. Lesser Trefoil
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| 15. Buttercup |
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16. Pink Valerian
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| 17. (?Wood) Forget-me-not |
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18. Wood Avens
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| 19. Nettle |
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20. Violet (flowers have died)
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| 23. Willowherb |
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24. Purple Oxalis (garden escape?)
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The photos that follow show how 'wild' a medium-sized suburban garden (ours) can look when it is largely left to nature.
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Hummingbird Hawk-moths frequented this patch last year
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Long grass micro-meadow
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The hedgehog continues to visit most nights, and the frog reappeared in the mini-pond two days ago. Butterfly numbers have largely been down on last year, but we have had record garden sightings of Holly Blue.
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Update 2024
25. Red Valerian
26. Bramble
27. Ivy
I love this blog post! I’ve planted various wild flowers in our lawn and I’ve also sown wild flower seed. I’ve noticed loads of Chickweed in our garden, too. We have a hedgehog visiting! Its only entrance is via a number of steps! Like you, we have the Holly Blue visiting but little else in the way of butterflies!
ReplyDeleteIs number 5, Hawkbit? It’s hard to tell! 😁
A super selection of wildflowers in your garden Caroline. We have quite a few of those too. I struggle with Cat's Ear type flowers too and a lot of those tiny white ones!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat overview of what is growing in your garden. Many of the same plants are here in the gardens too.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos of all your flowers! Like you, I also struggle with the yellow dandelion like plants. I need to sit down in the field with a field guide and look very closely.
ReplyDeleteI was sure I'd commented on this post! Lovely selection of flowers and always good to see a frog. I struggle with all the yellow dandelion type flowers too
ReplyDelete