July 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere

[olegKon]

Thanks, Maggi. Both for the complement and for the question which made me look through my writings. I'm sure now it's M.chinensis which was given to me 5 years ago as a 2 year old plant grown from seed. A fast grower with silvery leaves when they are unfolding.This is its first flowering. Now smell by day, it smells slightly at night but pollinators like it any way. It would be interesting to see the seedpods.

[Maggi Young]

Interesting that it is night scented. That is a surprise.
Yes, the pods will be good to see.... looking forward to those pix in time 

[Diane Clement]

this codonopsis grown from seed was labled Codonopsis convolvulacea. This is the first flovering which suggests it is not C.convolvulacea if nice. Anyone to help with the ID?

Looks a bit like C clematidea.  Take a look at this site:
http://www.kneebone.freeserve.co.uk/codpics.htm

[cohan]

Castilleja growing wild just up the road; supposed to be just C miniata here, but there are some really varied colours in this colony, and even more in another nearby I've shown before.. looking into possibility of hybrids...
more here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=7415.msg207998#msg207998
and full album of the  Castillejas from this walk:
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/July102011Castilleja

[Peter Maguire]

Fabulous range of colours in your Picasa gallery Cohan, we only seem to get the orange-coloured form in cultivation over here, which is quite nice, but...

Here's a few current flowers, not local - I was in Lithuania last week and whilst the wildlife was exremely varied, the only plant of note was the wintergreen Chimaphila umbelllata, which formed quite extensive colonies on the drier mounds in the pine woods of Dzūkija National Park.

[Lesley Cox]

The Chimaphila (wintergreen) is a bewitching thing, quite lovely. Can anyone clarify for me, whether oil of wintergreen comes from Gaultheria procumbens or not? There's a large patch of it near where I work and if I step through it, as I quite deliberately do, though shouldn't, I get the typical oil of wintergreen scent, remembered from my childhood when my mother rubbed it on sprains and sore patches.

[cohan]

Fabulous range of colours in your Picasa gallery Cohan, we only seem to get the orange-coloured form in cultivation over here, which is quite nice, but...

Here's a few current flowers, not local - I was in Lithuania last week and whilst the wildlife was exremely varied, the only plant of note was the wintergreen Chimaphila umbelllata, which formed quite extensive colonies on the drier mounds in the pine woods of Dzūkija National Park.

Thanks, Peter, the other site has these colours plus some interesting bi/mixed colours:
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/Castilleja2009
and here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/July072010ThunderAndPaintbrushes

Chimaphila is a charming plant, once which I have not seen in person-doesn't seem to quite make it this far out of the mountains...

[cohan]

Sempervivum and Jovibarba flower profusely this year, even at places which are
not so sunny as usual. It is quite interesting to raise seedlings from the resulting
seeds, they grow really quick and you can select many interesting forms and colours.

I have several also this year for the first time from offsets planted in 2009, mostly (just a few started last year)... the bees are busy already...

Magnar-- I like the small Geranium and the blue pea!

[Peter Maguire]

Chimaphila is a charming plant, once which I have not seen in person-doesn't seem to quite make it this far out of the mountains...

It was a new one for me. As for mountains, I've just checked the map and the photos were taken at the dizzy height of 100meters. I don't anywhere in Lithuania is much over 250metres.

[fleurbleue]

Peter you have been very lucky to see Chimaphila in the wild 

[Peter Maguire]

I'm ashamed to say I didn't know what I had seen until I got home and examined the photographs, I thought it was Pyrola minor. 

[ichristie]

Hi Peter, fantastic pictures, we have just come home from our annual trip to Golspie where our Son in law's parents live this is an area of stuning scenery and some rare plants. Our trip took us up as far as Bettyhill and Strathy point so a few pictures fro that, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[Peter Maguire]

I like the Moneses pictures Ian, you don't often see it growing where the sun shines on it.
Liz Mills was trying to persuade me on the Dolomite trip that it's difficult to photograph - as you have shown, you just have to be prepared to get your knees dirty! 

[olegKon]

this codonopsis grown from seed was labled Codonopsis convolvulacea. This is the first flovering which suggests it is not C.convolvulacea if nice. Anyone to help with the ID?

Looks a bit like C clematidea.  Take a look at this site:
http://www.kneebone.freeserve.co.uk/codpics.htm
Thanks, Diane. I have C.clematidea and they look different. The site is quite useful. Now I think it is C.obtusa

[WimB]

Some plants in flower here now:

Anemonopsis macrophylla
Anemonopsis macrophylla 'White form'
Astilbe 'Sprite'
Calandrinia ranunculina
Campanula zoysii
Deinanthe bifida
Geranium wallichianum 'Rise and Shine'
Acis autumnalis var. oporantha
Dianthus haematocalyx subsp pindicola (not really, probably a hybrid)