That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it ...
Passed with full marks as far as I'm concerned! xx
ReplyDeleteHey VP .. it looks pretty darn GOOD to me ! ... watch any more Dr. Who lately ? .. we still haven't seen what you have seen, plus I'm waiting till next month for Corry to be on its regular time (one part of hockey I hate is the playoffs that screw that up) .. I love that series Jekyll .. haven't sen anything of season 2 .. is there one ?
ReplyDeleteJoy
Looks neat and organized--I think you've got 'em fooled.
ReplyDelete--kate
Flighty - I'm good at disguising the weedy bits!
ReplyDeleteJoy - Looks better now I've started tackling the weeds. I'll come on over and whisper to you re Dr Who...
Kate - I do hope so!