“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…
Tag: wildflowers
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…