It’s been challenging to say the least to get out recently without getting a good soaking but Monday afternoon provided a brief break between the showers and so I headed out along the canal to see what I could spot.
Despite the earlier gloom, the latter part of the day was sunny and pleasantly warm and the rain, although disappointing for many of us, is welcomed by many plants, birds and animals. The hedgerows, riverbanks and canal sides are thriving with wildflowers at the moment and their varied colours can brighten up the gloomiest of days. I have selected a handful to show off, including one species that I had not come across before, the flowering rush.
The flowering rush is not actually a rush at all and belongs to a family of its own. The plant was introduced from North America and despite the plant being widespread, this was the first time I have actually sighted it and I think you will agree that it has beautiful flowers, the hoverflies certainly seemed to think so.
Many of you will be familiar with the name burdock and this next plant conjures up childhood memories of picking the sticky buds (or sticky bobs as we called them) and throwing them at each other, annoyingly becoming stuck in hair and on clothing and quite a task to remove. The root of the greater burdock, to give it its proper name is of course one of the ingredients for the drink dandelion and burdock.
Wild carrot is in abundance at the moment and can even be found in gardens and wasteland. Its leaves and roots do smell similar to carrots however the plant is not related and is actually part of the umbellifer family which includes cow parsley, giant hogweed, which can cause severe irritation and hemlock which if ingested can prove fatal. All these plants look very similar so for the avoidance of doubt, don’t pick any of them! The flowers of the wild carrot will initially appear pinkish before turning white and there is often a small red flower in the centre.
All of you will no doubt be familiar with the plant as it grows anywhere including wasteland and can often been seen sprouting from the rooftops of derelict buildings as their cotton like parachute seeds are able to travel great distances. Rosebay willowherb was little known before the 20th century, however it thrived amongst the bomb sites of World War 2 and the slum clearances toward the middle and latter part of the century. The early railways also contributed towards the spread of this plant, with the air turbulence from passing trains ensuring the dispersal of its seeds far and wide.
Finally, we have the common mallow. This beautiful flower is widespread through the UK and the French word for mallow is mauve which is where the word for the colour mauve derives from.
Well, there you go. Just a little splash of colour to brighten up these grey, soggy days. I would much rather go out and enjoy our many varied wild flowers in the rain rather than being stuck indoors waiting for the sun to appear, we may be waiting some time! Get out there and see how many you can recognsise and let me know what interesting sights you see or if we can help each other with any identification.
Keep dry if you can.
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