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
Fantastic, and what an amazing view in the background. A really lovely spot.
ReplyDeleteAnd this was on a relatively dull day CJ, imagine what it would be like when it's sunny :)
DeleteIt looks spectacular!
ReplyDeleteIt was - very much using your estate to convey how much power you have like Blenheim does so effectively.
ReplyDeleteWe were at Powis Castle last week, which was spectacular too. You would have loved the giant cannas and aeoniums in the terrace borders :)
Wow! Stood in the same spot VP a few years ago - isn't it fabulous :)
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is Anna - this was taken this time last year :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWow... now that is a grand entrance and an amazing viewpoint! It reminds me of Disneyland Paris back in 2000 with its entrance to mark the millennium of small hexagonal paving tiles with peoples names on them (at a cost). The hills in the background act like the castle at Disneyland :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Shirley - I see what you mean! The hills in the background are the Wicklow mountains which dominate the scenery over several counties in Ireland. The highest one in the photo is the Great Sugar Loaf, which you can see easily from Dublin and from where we were staying in Wicklow.
Delete