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
hey VP I am going private so I will add you to my reading peeps if that is ok
ReplyDeleteWell - one thing about this summer - everything is looking very green and lush. Nice plot views VP
ReplyDeleteKaren
Lovely. So verdant.
ReplyDeletevery pretty
ReplyDeleteHey, the tires are blooming nicely! ;-)
ReplyDelete~ Monica
It all looks lush and wet, the way we Americans think an English garden should look. (Whether it actually should look this way is another story.)
ReplyDeleteIntrigued by the tyres VP - have you plans to use them on the plot ?
ReplyDeleteSOL - thanks, will catch up with you soon
ReplyDeleteAG, HM, Deb, Monica, MMD - thanks :)
Anna - they hold the plastic tarpaulin down. It gets very windy on our site! I also use them for mini coldframes and as a stand for my water butt.