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
Very alluring indeed! Did you see any nice veg plots?
ReplyDeleteHi Naomi - not this time, hence my picture of what the National Trust claims is their most pictured scene out of all their properties. We also tried to go to the local organic farm shop, but it was closed. We'll just have to go again!
ReplyDeletelovely post
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda :)
ReplyDeleteCertainly a lovely place to return to!
ReplyDeletePetoskystone - we live right on the southern edge (10 mins drive) and this particular view is less than an hour away, so a return is pretty much guaranteed!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous.
ReplyDeleteHi Helena - it sure is :)
ReplyDelete