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…
Tag: wildflowers
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…
Wild Signs and Star Paths
52 Keys that Will Open Your Eyes, Ears and Mind to the World Around You 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 Published in North America as The Nature Instinct ‘Beautifully written……
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…
Wildflower Puzzle
What direction are we facing in the picture above? ———– Very little in nature is symmetrical. Not even the sun. Our natural navigation ability blossoms…
The Cuckoo Flower – a sign of damp ground
The Cuckoo Flower (cardamine pratensis), a.k.a. Lady’s Smock, is out near me. It is easily identified by its early blooming and four pale pink petals.…
Marsh-marigolds and Shallow Water
The Marsh-marigolds are coming into bloom around our pond. They are a little early, April being more typical. Marsh-marigoldsare one of the earliest vivid wetland…
Love in a Mist – Nigella damascena
The striking ‘Love-in-a-Mist’, nigella damascena, may appear unusual, but it is actually a member of the not too exotic buttercup family. It is a popular…
Winter Colour, Spindle and Yarrow
Fine walking conditions prevailed over much of the UK this weekend and so I disappeared into the hills for a few hours with the dog.…
Ramblings with Clare Balding
In 2010 I was honoured to lead Clare Balding on the first ever night walk for her wonderful Radio 4 series, Ramblings. Yesterday we were…
Blackthorn or Sloe
Blackthorn, or sloe (Prunus spinosa), is a common hedgerow plant. Depending on how close you get to it and the time of year, you will…
Wildflower Ways
It is an exciting time of year, there is a lot of vernal energy pent up, all coiled and ready to leap over the barrier…
Wildflower Navigation Tips
The perfect antidote to the cabin fever that comes from being cooped up writing about the Arctic, it turns out, is to go for a…
Where the Wildflowers Are
Walking through a narrow, predominantly damp and shady deciduous woodland yesterday afternoon I was suddenly greeted by sunshine on my right cheek and a group…