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 ...
What a lovely quote, and so apt.
ReplyDeleteI agree: apt quote!
ReplyDeleteIs that winter aconite?
Plantaliscious - thanks. As soon as I saw it I knew it had to be Frebruary's muse as I've been spending so much time looking out for tiny flowers ;)
ReplyDeleteDirt Gently - welcome! Well spotted, it is indeed a winter aconite. I was going to say so on the post itself, but it seemd to destroy the power of the quotation when I do so. I was going to show you my first crocus (which came out last Sunday), but I'd been so worried that my Eranthis didn't seem to be peeping out yet, when I found they were just beginning to wake up under their winter coverlet of leaves, I knew I just had to show it instead :)
That quote hits the nail on the head VP and perfectly illustrated too :)
ReplyDeleteSo you have actually seen this lovely bloom in your garden? Lucky you! Is it already 'late' winter? I like that thought, although many say it's still deep in the middle of winter. I'm going to look at it as late winter. Hopefully that way, spring can only be just around the corner!
ReplyDeleteAnna - thanks :)
ReplyDeleteJan - February is called 'Late Winter' in our gardening calendar. I've been worried they weren't going to appear this year, so was really pleased when I saw the first few peeping through for Muse Day. There's lots more now :)