An Array of Colour

It doesn’t seem like two minutes since I was talking about things to look out for and enjoy throughout Spring and now here we are well into June and enjoying some very pleasant weather.

It is the perfect time of the year to enjoy the many colourful wildflowers to be found when out enjoying the weather, especially around hedgerows, canal or river sides and if you are lucky, a beautiful wildflower meadow.

I have selected just a few of my favourites from a recent walk, all are commonly found and some, disappointingly regarded as weeds. They all provide a crucial role in providing food for our top pollinators and add a splash of colour, pleasing to the eye and senses.

Bird's foot trefoil, also known as 'eggs and bacon' and a member of the pea family. Its name is derived from its flowers, supposedly resembling a bird's claw.

Tufted Vetch, also a member of the pea family and like all vetch species is a srambling plant.

The beautiful Foxglove, which can also be seen with white flowers, is a bee's favourite. Foxgloves are extremely posionous and caution should be exercised around children and pets. Its Latin name Digitalis derives from the Latin for finger.

Red Campion, its genus name is Silene, from the Greek sialon, meaning saliva in reference to the sticky substance secreted from its stem.

Common Knapweed is a prickle-less thistle which flowers from June to September and is a butterfly's favourite.

Oxeye daisy, the large, white flowers are easily identified and its long stems set it apart from the much smaller common daisy.

There are of course many other beautiful species of wildflowers out there to enjoy and I will revisit this subject again next month once local treasure Trench Meadow is in full bloom with its orchids and many other nationally important species.

Just a reminder for us all please during this period of settled and dry weather. Like all weather conditions, good or bad, there are winners and losers. There is an abundance of insects around at the moment to satisfy the mouths of those hungry summer visitors like the swallows, swifts and martins. However, the lack of available mud due to the dry ground means our beloved songbirds such as the thrushes, blackbirds and robins are struggling to feed their young as it is difficult to catch worms and other grubs, a staple of their diets. If you can, keep a patch of your lawn or garden damp and muddy to assist the ground feeders, build a pond in your garden, make sure you leave plenty of fresh water out, birds get thirsty in hot weather, just like us. Clean any feeders regularly to prevent disease and infection. Together we can all do our bit to make sure the Summer is a happy one for everyone and everything we share it with.

Take care in the sun.