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where the wildflowers are

where the wildflowers are

Category Archives: North Wales

Snowdrop

12 Sunday Feb 2017

Posted by theresagreen in British wildflowers, flowering in February, flowering in January, flowering in March, folklore of plants, North Wales, white flowered plants, wildflowers of Wales

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Galanthus nivalis L., snowdrop

SNOWDROP – Galanthus nivalis

Flowering : (January) February to March

Snowdrops are iconic flowers that traditionally herald the ending of winter and are the first bulbs to bloom and to show signs of life after the winter months. In Britain, Snowdrops are possibly both native and naturalised and were not recorded as growing wild here until the 1770s. It is likely that many of our colonies of wild Snowdrops originated with ecclesiastical plantings. The pure white blooms of the Snowdrop have long been accepted by the Catholic Church as a symbol of Candlemas, celebrated on February 2nd, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, and their association with monastic sites is apparent right across Britain.

170130-st-trillo-churchyard-1-snowdrops

130216-chirk-castle-5

Common English name: Snowdrop Scientific name: Galanthus nivalis L. Welsh:Eirlys

Other common names: Candlemas bells, Mary’s taper, Snow-piercer, February fairmaids, Dingle-dangle

Description: Height 15-25cm (6-10″). Strap-shaped bluish-green leaves grow at the base of each stem, which bears a single drooping blossom. The flower has three spreading sepals that grow longer than the its green-tipped petals.

Conservation status: Rated as Near Threatened (NT) according to IUCN Red List criteria.

Habitat: On the European continent Snowdrops grow in wild habitats, in damp woods and meadows up to 1,600 metres.130216-chirk-castle-2

One of the local names for the snowdrop is the ‘snow piercer’ and this describes exactly how the flower pushes its head up through the snow or winter-hardened earth to brighten otherwise gloomy February woodlands.

170102-berc-74-snowdrops

A small leaf-like spathe, or protective sheath, covers the tip of the flowering stem and enables the snowdrop flower to force its way up through the snow.

130216-chirk-castle-1

FOLKLORE

130216-chirk-castleAlthough the flowers are sanctified for Candlemas, the snowdrop is one of the many white blossoms that are still regarded as being unlucky if brought into the house. In parts of Northumberland, Westmorland and Hampshire, single flowers particularly are still viewed as ‘death-tokens’. This may be as one Victorian explanation was that the flower “looked for all the world like a corpse in its shroud”. According to the ‘language of the flowers’, the snowdrop was an emblem for virginity, and a few blooms enclosed in an envelope were often used to warn off over-ardent wooers. In a similar vein, in Yorkshire there was an old custom, again celebrated on Candlemas, for village maidens to gather bunches of snowdrops and wear them as symbols of purity. (extracts from Flora Britannica, Richard Mabey)

170130-st-trillo-churchyard-2-snowdrops

 

RELATIONSHIP WITH INSECTS

130216-chirk-castle-7The snowdrop provides an early source of nectar for bees, which in turn pollinate the flowers. Nectar is secreted by the green-spotted inner petals of the snowdrop and as the bee forages, it brushes onto the female stigma some of the pollen that has stuck to its body whilst visiting other flowers.

TRADITIONAL USES

Ornamental. Medicinal. Insecticide.

MEDICINAL USES

The alkaloid Galantamine, which was initially isolated from snowdrops, has been used in treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, neuritis and neuralgia. In parts of eastern Europe, rubbing snowdrops on the forehead was a folk remedy used for pain relief.

Known hazards: Snowdrops and their bulbs are poisonous to humans and can cause nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting if eaten in large quantities.

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Winter Heliotrope

20 Friday Jan 2017

Posted by theresagreen in British wildflowers, flowering in January, North Wales, pinkish-lilac flowered plants, wildflowers of Wales

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Petasites fragrans, Winter heliotrope, winter wildflower

Almost hiding the ground with its leaves, Winter heliotrope is a creeping, patch-forming perennial plant that thrives in damp places, often beneath trees and shrubs where it may well overpower other herbaceous plants. The rounded leaves are present all year, then the flowers appear from December to March, although are at their best at the beginning of January.

160123-berc-winter-heliotrope-leaves

Winter heliotrope – Petasites fragrans

170102-berc-73-winter-heliotropeThe pinkish-lilac flowers are 10-12mm across, have a delicious vanilla or heliotrope scent and are carried in spikes 20-25mm long.

Fruits are achenes.

The leaves are present all year round. They are a pleasing rounded heart shape, green above and greyish beneath, measure about 20mm across and are long-stalked.
160123-berc-winter-heliotrope-leaf

The name heliotrope derives from the old idea that the inflorescences of the plant turned their rows of flowers to follow the sun. Helios is Greek for ‘sun’ and trepeine means ‘to turn.’

Heliotrope is much used in the perfume industry and features in many popular  fragrances.

Heliotrope is also the name of a colour taken from the pink-purple of the flowers of a species of this family of plants, first recorded as a colour name in English in 1882.

 

 

 

 

 

 

August on the Bryn

10 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by theresagreen in British wildflowers, Bryn Euryn Local Nature Reserve, flora of a limestone hill, flowering in August, North Wales, plants of calcareous grassland, purple-flowered plants, semi-parasitic wildflowers, wildflowers of Wales, wildflowers on limestone, yellow-flowered plants

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centaurea nigra, Common eyebright, common knapweed, Euphrasia nemorosa, hazelnut, hemp agrimony, insects on hemp agrimony, insects on knapweed, insects on ragwort, odontites vernus, ragwort, red bartsia, senecio jacobea

August 5th

In the woods foliage is verdant and heavy, reaching out to the light across the tracks and rides. But the signs of a summer past its peak are beginning to show as plants divert their energies into their most important task; that of fruit production.

160805-Bryn Euryn (16)-Woodland trail

The Hazels bear a few fully-formed nuts, but here at least only a few will achieve maturity. Grey squirrels grab all they can reach, careless of whether they are ripe or not, leaving the debris of their wanton pickings strewn on the ground beneath the trees.

Unripened Hazelnuts
Unripened Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts picked and discarded by grey squirrels
Hazelnuts picked and discarded by grey squirrels

In the meadow the grasses have set seed, their long stems golden and hay-dry. The mid-summer flush of wildflowers has more or less subsided with only scattered blooms of dainty harebell, lady’s bedstraw and white clover tucked down in the long grass.

160805-Bryn Euryn (27)-Adder's field

In their stead the tougher, bolder-coloured blooms characteristic of late summer are peaking and will provide the nectar and pollen vital to the sustenance of the insect population.

160805-Bryn Euryn (60)-stand of Hemp Agrimony

The swathe of Hemp Agrimony bordering between the meadow’s edge and the trees, was literally buzzing with insects on this sunny but windy day. Many of the visitors were male bumblebees. With no hive duties to perform they have only themselves to care for and can afford to spend what remains of their lives lingering long and gorging on nectar. The plant is a favourite of the bigger butterflies too – you may see Red Admiral or a gorgeous Peacock feasting here – provided there are any about of course.

Helophilus sp. hoverfly
Helophilus sp. hoverfly
Bombus terrestris bumblebee
Bombus terrestris bumblebee
Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper

Ragwort is  not as abundant here as in other places locally, but what there is was well-visited by a variety of insects from tiny hoverflies to butterflies.

160805-Bryn Euryn (8)-Ragwort flowers

One particular flowerhead was occupied by a damaged 6-spot Burnet moth that was still in situ a couple of hours later as I passed by on my way home. It will be safe there- the moths are poisonous, so left alone by potential predators.

Tiny hoverfly
Tiny hoverfly
Bombus pratorum
Bombus pratorum
6-spot Burnet moth
6-spot Burnet moth

One of the more unusual wildflowers found in this little hillside meadow is the Wild Onion, or Nodding Wild Onion as it is sometimes referred to. In previous years I have found it was particularly attractive to the little Common Blue butterflies, but alas there were no blue butterflies to be found today and the flowers are already producing fruits – a rounded cluster of tiny bulbils.

(Nodding) Wild Onion- Allium vineale
(Nodding) Wild Onion- Allium vineale
Fruiting heads of Wild Onion
Fruiting heads of Wild Onion

160703-Bryn Euryn-Eyebright 2There are two semi-parasitic wildflowers to be found here now. One is the lovely little Eyebright which has been in flower for a while now but that will continue into September; the other in lesser amounts, is Red Bartsia. Both plants take their nourishment from the roots of grasses. Much of the Eyebright here on Bryn Euryn shows up from where it grows low in the grass as all parts of the plant other than the flowers are tinged a strong bronzy-purple.

160805-Bryn Euryn (79a)-Red Bartsia-Odontites vernus

Red Bartsia – Odontites vernus

Higher up towards the summit of the hill and again on the downland slope Knapweed is more prolific. It too is beloved by insects, but on a windy day such as today when the flowers are vigorously bending and swaying, they make for a tricky landing and even trickier photographs.

160805-Bryn Euryn (78)-View

Helophilus sp. hoverfly
Helophilus sp. hoverfly
6 spot Burnet moth
6 spot Burnet moth

Hogweed is still flowering strongly and feeding insects whilst simultaneously setting seed.

160805-Bryn Euryn (21)-hogweed flowering & seeding

And there are ripe blackberries and sweet wild raspberries to add little treats to the walk home.

Blackberries
Blackberries
Raspberry-Rubus idaeus
Raspberry-Rubus idaeus

The ‘Bryn’ referred to in the post title is Bryn Euryn, a limestone hill of which much is a Local Nature Reserve, located in Rhos-on-Sea (Llandrillo-yn-Rhos), in Conwy, North Wales.  Grid Reference: SH 832798

The Bryn is the basis of many posts on my longer-established blog ‘Everyday Nature Trails’.

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  • August on the Bryn

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