Wildflowers – Clues and Signs in July
July is a good month for tall wildflowers that include red in their palette. The pink-purple foxgloves line the edge of the woods and point…
Tag: flowers
What are Trampling-Tolerant Plants?
There are no plants that like being trampled on by humans or animals, but there are some that specialise in surviving in these tough zones.…
Wayfinding with Rosebay Willowherb – Chamerion angustifolium
Rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) is tall late-summer wildflower with distinctive pink-purple flowers that grow in tall spikes from July-September, with spirals of lance-like leaves. It…
Foxgloves Face Away From the Forest
Foxgloves – Digitalis purpurea – are a sign you are near the edge of the woods. The flowers point away from the trees.
Which Way Are We Looking? Golden Edition
Which direction are we looking in this photo taken in West Sussex, southeast UK? North, East, South or West? It’s a tough one. There are…
Nettle-Leaved Bellflower – Campanula trachelium
The Nettle-leaved bellflower, Campanula trachelium, is found in low-level calcareous woodland, flowering from June to September. It needs some disturbance to the soil to thrive.…
How to Find Your Way with Scents and Smell
Wildflowers help us to navigate in so many ways. Look at the wild marjoram, Origanum vulgare, above. You may have noticed that the stems are…
A Cherry Blossom Map at the Hepworth Wakefield
My thanks to everyone who came to my talk at the Hepworth Wakefield gallery last week. And to the University of Sheffield team for organising…
The Walker’s Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs
The ultimate guide to what the land, sun, moon, stars, trees, plants, animals, sky and clouds can reveal – when you know what to look…
The Wayfaring Tree – Viburnum lantana
As its name suggests, the wayfaring-tree (Viburnum lantana) is a sign, if you aren’t already aware, that you are on or near a path. It…
Snowdrops – Galanthus nivalis
Galanthophiles will have spotted that the snowdrops are out. The ones near me are showing a strong preference for pointing south. The direction flowers point…
Snow and Gorse
It is that time of year when we get to enjoy snow and ice natural navigation clues. In the south of England there hasn’t been…
Horsham Park
My thanks to Leon Winnert for sending in this photo from Horsham Park. The picture was taken in the middle of the day, so no…
Winter Clues Competition Winner
There were a surprisingly low number of entries for the winter clues competition, but some fun and unusual ideas amongst them. Using seaweed to work…
Wild Flowers
I have been doing my best to research the preferences of wild flowers over the last couple of weeks, although writing deadlines have made it…
Ash and Mist
I went for a stroll this morning in a pair of Ugg boots. My eyes were drawn up to where the taller trees’ branches were…
A Flower Pot Compass
There is a really good attempt to give a flavour of the whole subject of natural navigation in an article in the Independent today by…
A Scruffy Patch of Land…
… or a clue to direction. One of the challenges in natural navigation that never goes away is the need to constantly change our focus.…
Great Lettuce!
There is a good photo of the Great Lettuce, Lactuca Virosa, with its leaves aligned north-south on the Adur Wild Flower website. If you do…