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
Neat!
ReplyDeleteInteresting!
ReplyDeleteI can hear that tree scream from here !
ReplyDeleteOuch!
ReplyDeleteOh my! Fences don't make good neighbors...to trees!
ReplyDeleteWhy, oh why, oh why???
ReplyDeleteHi everyone, I'm more intrigued by how one of the branches has its own hole in the fence to poke through. It does look rather magnificent overall, though perhaps the owners didn't realise how big it was going to grow when they planted - a problem in waiting they've set up for the current house owners.
ReplyDeleteFrom Zoe who emails:
ReplyDeleteMinute I saw the photo it took me straight back to Highgrove and the bonkers hobbit house HRH has on the lawn in front of the house. Why do people do these things to trees?
The neighbour would be within their rights to saw the branch off!
Zoe - it hangs over a public footpath, so there's no neighbours. From a distance, which is how most people see it, it's a rather magnificent tree. It's only when you get closer, that you see there's a bit of a problem. I suspect the people who planted it decades ago didn't know there'd be a problem and the current owners are probably in a bit of a dilemma re what to do for the best.