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 ...
Wow, what a stunning picture. I can really feel the autumn sunshine. It looks like a really lovely place - I think I could spend a few happy hours wandering around there.
ReplyDeleteHi CJ - wow indeed :) I visited Holt Farm two weeks in a row. The first was in the rain and there was still plenty of interest even then. I met a couple from Devon who open their garden to the public and were frantically taking photos. They agreed that a garden with plenty of interest in the rain is a rarity and should be treasured.
DeleteGorgeous photo!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteGreat photo VP on what looks like a glorious autumn day. Is the lake part of the property?
ReplyDeleteYes and no, Anna. The lake belongs to Bristol Water and it's Holt Farm (with all its happy Yeo Valley cows) itself rather than the garden which goes down to the lake. However, there are some events at the garden which include trout fishing on the lake and the garden team like to make use of the surrounding landscape as part of the garden.
DeleteIsn't that just lovely! I love how there's still so much to see at the moment - perennials having a last moment of glory before winter dieback and grasses slowly fading into their winter colours. Just glorious!
ReplyDeleteI'm really surprised at how green lots of the trees were last week Caro. I'm sure that's changing though...
Delete