British wildflowers

[Hoy]

No wind anemones or primroses in flower here yet. It has been cold until last Friday. But you give me hope!

[ian mcdonald]

Male flowers of bog myrtle in flower today on the local patch img.1010175.

[ian mcdonald]

Something to get stuck into? Drosera rotundifolia img. 3561. Keeled garlic, Allium carinatum img. 3922. A garden worthy plant? Trifolium medium img. 4224.

[Hoy]

. . . .   
A garden worthy plant? Trifolium medium img. 4224.

Yes, it is! I have planted it at our mountain cabin 

[ian mcdonald]

Four of our wintergreens img. 1339 is common wintergreen, Pyrola minor. Intermediate wintergreen, P. media img. 09 206. Round leaved wintergreen, P. rotundifolia img. 2825. Toothed wintergreen, Orthilia secunda img. 297.

[ian mcdonald]

Great sundew, Drosera anglica and Round leaved sundew, D. rotundifolia img. 0009.

[ian mcdonald]

Helleborus foetidus in a local wood img. 0004.

[ian mcdonald]

A compositae but which one img. 3971. Greater hay rattle, Rhinanthus angustifolius img. 09 012.

[Hoy]

A compositae but which one img. 3971. Greater hay rattle, Rhinanthus angustifolius img. 09 012.

Erigeron acer/acris maybe.

[ian mcdonald]

Right Hoy, E acer it is.

[Matt T]

I had time to make a few stops on my way home from the Edinburgh Show, the last of which was to The Storr on Trotternish, Skye. I had seen Saxifraga oppositifolia growing there (in a range of niches - rock crevices, scree and turf - some in full sunshine), but had never been there when it was in flower. The timing was perfect on this occasion, but I am miffed that I didn't spot the particularly nice looking clump until I had scrambled to the bottom of the rocky scree.

[Hoy]

Very nice, Matt   What's the altitude there?

[Matt T]

Thanks, Hoy. These plants are growing at about 500 metres altitude.

[Hoy]

Thanks, Hoy. These plants are growing at about 500 metres altitude.

Thanks. In the mountains here they flower when the snow melts (which is anytime from May till September) but here at the coast it flowers in April.

[Matt T]

The coast is very close to where these plants grow, the hill sloping down to the shore below. Whilst this site would receive some occasional snowfall in most winters, there would not be snow cover all winter long at this altitude in this location. There are sites on the north coast of mainland Scotland where this plant grows at still lower altitudes. Equally, we'll have some mountains where it is still under a blanket of snow and yet to bloom.