Giant Viper’s-Bugloss and Natural Navigation
Giant Viper’s-Bugloss, Echium pininana, is a tall flowering plant in the borage family, native to La Palma in the Canary Islands. It shows a strong…
Tag: wildflowers
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…
Wayfinding with Weld – Reseda luteola
Weld (Reseda luteola) is a tall, hairless biennial plant found on dry ground. It grows up to 1.5m tall and has green-yellow flowers. It thrives…
Clover Clues
When looking at any grassy area, it is easy to see a uniform swathe of green. But if we stop and peer, we find that…
The Secret World of Weather – Paperback Out!
The paperback of The Secret World of Weather is out today – in the UK! I am very excited by that and this morning’s weather…
Nature’s Clues and Signs – Black Down
I’m back from a routine ‘sharpener’, one of the short, intense natural navigation exercises that I like to do regularly to keep my hand in…
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.
Nature’s Clues and Signs 1 – East Marden
Welcome Welcome to the first in a new nature’s clues and signs series. Over the coming months I will be heading out on a series…
The Meaning of Bluebells
The bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) is a perennial bluish-purple bell-shaped wildflower of the Lily family (Liliaceae). It is a European plant, common in the British Isles.…
The Wood Anemone – Anemone nermorosa
The Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) is a pretty perennial wildflower of damp deciduous woodland, scrub, hedgerows and ditches. It has earned the nickname ‘windflower’, possibly…
“Gorse is out of bloom, when kissing’s out of fashion”
There was heavy snow in the early hours of Sunday morning. We didn’t need any more encouragement. The Gooley family set off for an explore…
Fast Recognition and Optical Illusions in Nature
Our brains are pattern-recognising machines. This is true everywhere, but not least in nature, where it honed these skills over millions of years. Bird calls,…
Water-pepper, Persicaria hydropiper
Water-pepper, Persicaria hydropiper, is a bitter tasting map-maker. It is an inconspicuous annual plant, but it is useful to natural navigators. It grows up to…
Daisies Opening – A Time Lapse
This is a time lapse of daisies opening and orientating themselves towards the sun. It was filmed over a couple of hours and compressed down…
The Joy of Signs in Spring
by Tristan Gooley Time outdoors has become precious and there’s a joy in this. We’re all about to get better at appreciating the beauty and…
The Common or Dog Violet
The Common dog-violet – Viola riviniana – flowers in spring, from April to June. (The ‘dog’ part of the name refers to its lack of…
Common Centaury – Centaurium erythraea
Common Centaury – Centaurium erythraea – is a small pretty flower, with five pink petals and a yellow centre. It is found in fairly dry…
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…
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…