High Summer Flower

Just a few more high summer flowers, one of which is comfrey (Symphytum officinale).

Comfrey is a robust hairy perennial, 60-90cm. high, with broad lanceolate leaves.  Flowers are bell-like and may be white, cream, blue, mauve, purple or pink.

The habitat is widespread and common along river banks and streams. 

"Symphytum" is derived from the Greek "sympho", to heal or unite, and alludes to the plant's use in medicine in the past in the treatment of healing bones.

Other names for comfrey are boneset, knitbone, blackwort and ass ear, the later from the shape of the leaves.

Alder

Bindweed

Bramble

Comfrey

Summer's silent beauty.

The countryside is ablaze with wildflowers this time of the year and you can feel spoilt for choice where to look next. There is one, though, that sits back from the crowd and can go unnoticed, and is the opposite of its cultivated cousin which adorns gardens up and down the country and is the prime focus of attention at flower shows. What is this enigma of flowers?  Wild rose (Rosa canina) or dog rose as it known in parts of the country.

The dog rose is the most commonest wild rose in Britain with pale pink or white flowers and fragrant. It is not, though, as sweet-scented as the cultivated ones which again adds to its mystic. It is a tall, stout shrub, 1-3m high, with large curved thorns.  The fruits are typically red and egg-shaped.

The common and scientific name comes from the Latin "Canis", dog, which is thought to be alluding to the plants inferiority - others think it may be referring to the plants use in veterinary medicine.  Other common names are common brier and dog brier.

Dog Rose

Dog Rose

Dog Rose thorns

Yellow Flag

This time of year yellow flag is in flower and looking resplendent with its bright yellow flowers.

Iris, the mythological Greek messenger, who came to the earth via a rainbow, gives our wild iris - yellow flag - its scientific name - Iris pseudacorus.

Yellow flag is easily identified when in flower by its rich yellow flowers, which are similar to the garden iris so popular as border plants. There are three outer petals (sometimes called falls); three erect inner petals (standards); and three large stigmas.  The leaves are long, sword shaped and flat.

They occur in large numbers by fresh water and in marshes.  The flowering time is June-August.  They occur throughout the British Isles.

Some, with many an anxious pain,
Childish wishes pursue,
From the pondhead gazed in vain
On the flag-flower's yellow hue;
Smiling o'er its shadow'd bloom,
While the flood's triumphing care
Crimpled round its guarded home.  ("Recollections after a Ramble". J Clare).

The name, flag, is from Middle English "flagge", sword, referring to the sword-shaped leaves.  These leaves can be between 60-120cm long and 2cm across, sharp-edged and pointed.

When you do come across yellow flag think of the poem above which well describes the yellow flowers smiling and gazing out from their guarded pondhead home.

Other names given to yellow flag include Jacob's sword, fliggers, daggers and fleur de lys.  The later is reference to the role taken by iris in heraldry.  The "fleur-de-lis, heraldic lily, has long been associated with the royal arms of France.  Even today, it is popular with heraldic designs.

More Spring In South Shropshire

Bank Holiday Monday got off to a good start with a visit to the Wyre Forrest.  I had hoped for wood warbler, but I didn't see or hear one.  I did, though, connect with garden warbler and blackcap singing their heads off which made a good exercise in comparing their songs - which can be difficult at the start of the year until you get your "ear in".

I soon moved on to Clee Hill where there were lots of wheatears at the summit and a peregrine flew over.  Whilst there I was lucky enough to find a meadow pipits nest with young.

I moved on to Bridges and saw two iconic summer visitors - pied flycatcher and redstart. Also got some more photos of spring flowers - red campion, forget-me-not, dandelion and kingcups.  The kingcups looked fantastic and the dandelions looked more like chrysanthemums! - see photo below.

The highlight of the day, though, was a visit to the Hollies.  The holly trees are the oldest in Europe, some 400 years old!  The are located on the north-east edge of the Stiperstones.  Because of their age they are cracked and gnarled and even rowan trees are growing up through them.

Dandelion

Forget-me-not

Kingcups

Kingcups

Red Campion

Holly Flowers

Holly Tree with Rowan growing through it

 

Spring Woodland Flowers

Just a few photos of spring flowers that I took on a recent walk in a local deciduous wood.  Greater Stitchwort, Bluebell and Wood Anemone are some of our most evocative spring woodland flowers.  No spring would be complete without them.  But I was inspired by the wild crab apple tree I came across and couldn't resist taking some shots of the blossom. As you may have noticed (I say you, that's probably myself as I don't get that many hits on this blogg) I love spring blossom and catkins - see silver birch catkin photo.

Crab Apple Blossom

Greater Stitchwort

Silver Birch Catkins

Wood Anemone

Bluebell

Clee Hill. 10 April, 2014

Clee Hill is always worth a visit this time of the year for its speciality upland birds - wheatear, singing and displaying meadow pipit, peregrine, stonechat and ring ouzel. Ring ouzels are only passage migrants through there on their way to breeding grounds further north and probably west into Wales.  They  had been reported there from a couple of days ago, but with much searching I drew a blank.  I did, though, connect with all the other birds mentioned. There must have been at least twenty wheatears, male and female, near the car park and derelict buildings.  They proved to be too difficult to get any reasonable photos of, so I settled to photographing the old mine working buildings.

Derelict Mine Workings

Some of them look more like WW2 "pill boxes" rather than mine working buildings.

The photo below shows the Titterstone Incline, which was the railway to and from the mine when it was working.  Oddly enough, this is the place that is favoured by the ring ouzels when they are there!

Titterstone Incline

Later on I went to the Kerry Ridgeway and Lower-short Ditch (photo)

Chelmarsh

I Visited Chelmarsh today in the hope of summer migrants, but there was only chiffchaff singing. So I decided to take some photos of blackthorn and other blossom which was in full bloom and looking fantastic.

Blackthorn.

 I am not sure what the two below are, but they were among the blackthorn hedge on the side of the scrape.  As the year progresses I will probably be able to identify them by the leaves and later the fruit.

Blossom sp.

blossom sp.

I also walked along the side of the reservoir where I knew there was a stand of aspen trees.  They were just coming out in bud and so looked bare - see photo below.  These trees, though, come into their own later on in the year when in full leaf.  The scientific name is populus tremula, tremula describes the trembling of the leaves even in the slightest of breezes, which is a pleasure to listen to and quite different from anything else.

Aspen, Populus tremula.

April and May is the time of year for the flowering of one of our most endearing wild flowers - cowslip.  On the reservoir dam they can bee seen flowering alongside primroses and, possibly, oxlip.

It seems a shame that one of our most beloved and gentle wild flowers gets its name from the droppings, or slop, of cows.  Other ideas as to the origin of its name is that cowslip is found in fields where cows graze. Whichever is correct, and there are many more, cowslip is one of our most lovely flowers.

Cowslip (Primula veris) fall into the primrose family (Primulaceae) in which there are 23 genera and some 800 species worldwide.

The fragrant, deep yellow flowers are orange at the base and the leaves are like primrose but smaller and abruptly narrow at the base.  What gives cowslip it charm, however, is the way the flowers droop over to one side as if they are nodding off to sleep.

They can often be found in association with daises, buttercups, ox-eye and sorrel which adds to their appeal. Finding them when out walking on a sunny April or May morning can be a delight and lift the spirits.

Cowslip.

Primrose.

Oxlip?