rogerrob473.bsky.social
@rogerrob473.bsky.social
More chiltern gentian surprises. Just when I thought last week’s find was a one-off, I discovered a few more plants in flower in the sunshine this week, at Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour Pleased to see basil thyme (clinopodium acinos) back in bloom at Streatley (W. Berks) today after disappearing during the worst of the drought. #wildflowerhour A surprise at Streatley (W. Berks) today. After not finding any of the earlier autumn gentians this year, this lone, rare chiltern gentian (gentianella germanica) has defied the odds to bloom in the later more favourable weather. #wildflowerhour My pick for #FavouritePlant is rue-leaved saxifrage. It’s been scarce this year, likely due to the unusually wet autumn and winter. Spotted on the old pavement at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks), 28/3/2026. #wildflowerhour Two faces of pale toadflax (linaria repens) at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks) this week. I wonder if the darker one is a highly saturated wild variant or a stable hybrid with purple toadflax (l. × dominii)? #wildflowerhour Red bartsia (odontites vernus) on Stockbridge Down (Hants) this week in the afternoon sun. An important late-season source of nectar for carder bees and various wasps. #wildflowerhour Wild mignonette (reseda lutea) #FRUITS seen this week on Stockbridge Down (Hants). The picture shows green immature pods on the lower stem and ripe, open-topped brown capsules on the upper stem. #wildflowerhour The delicate flowers of common hemp-nettle (galeopsis tetrahit) spotted at Ashford Hill Meadows (N. Hants) this week for #wildflowerhour Some gypsywort (lycopus europaeus) for #wildflowerhour, found this week by the currently dried up pond at Ashford Hill Meadows. Looking and functioning as if they were custom built for droughts, carline thistles today at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour Devil's-bit scabious - a bit of late summer purply-blue standing out against the parched downland this week at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour Common restharrow (ononis repens) with bee visitor from my walk today at Streatley (W. Berks). In old farming days its deep, wiry roots routinely snagged heavy horse-drawn ploughs (harrows) forcing the harrow to rest. Late for #wildflowerhour #CommonNames Sneezewort (achillea ptarmica) at Ashford Hill Meadows (N Hants) this week. Late for #wildflowerhour. A tangle of skullcap and a cluster of water mint seen this week close to the edge of a recently dried out pond at Ashford Hill Meadows (N Hants). #wetlandplants. Late for #wildflowerhour. Basil thyme (clinopodium acinos) thriving out of the cracks of the old sun-exposed pavement at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks), 4/7/26. Late for #wildflowerhour. Spotted three burnt-tip orchids on Ladle Hill (N Hants) yesterday growing under the wing of a conspicuous pyramidal orchid. #wildflowerhour Goat's-rue (galega officinalis) blooming on a road verge near Old Burghclere (N Hants), 27/6/2026. Heavily managed by Wildlife Trusts for outcompeting native flora. #InvasivePlants #wildflowerhour Beautiful dropwort (filipendula vulgaris) seen during my walk in West Hampshire this week. #wildflowerhour Deadly nightshade (atropa belladonna) flowering profusely, seen during my walk in West Hampshire this week. #wildflowerhour Quaking grass seen on my walk today at Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour Some small white flowers spotted on my walk today at Streatley (W. Berks) - squinancywort, bastard toadflax & fairy flax. #wildflowerhour Some flowers thriving in still damp habitats at Ashford Hill Meadows (N Hants) this week - water forget-me-not, brooklime, tufted forget-me-not (I think) and bog stitchwort. #wildflowerhour Pignut (the scattered white flowers) seen widespread across the grassland at Ashford Hill Meadows this week with heath spotted-orchid, heath speedwell and cuckooflower also present, though distributed more sporadically, for the #WildFlowerShow challenge. #wildflowerhour Two more finds from my walk today at Streatley (W. Berks) for the #tinyplants challenge - wild thyme (thymus polytrichus) and field madder (sherardia arvensis). #wildflowerhour Common milkwort (polygala vulgaris) in blue and pink from my walk today at Streatley (W. Berks) for the #tinyplants challenge. #wildflowerhour Three-nerved sandwort (moehringia trinervia) - tiny flowers if not the tiniest of plants - for the #tinyplants challenge this week. The leaves have 3-5 distinct veins instead of one central vein. Spotted in woodland at Headley (near Newbury), 13th May. #wildflowerhour Not able to get out and about at the time of the woodland plants challenge this year but, back on my feet, pleased this week to find wood sorrel, a favourite woodland flower, still in bloom in woodland at Headley (near Newbury), 13th May. #wildflowerhour Rue-leaved saxifrage on a section of old pavement at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks), 28/3/26. Late for #wildflowerhour Rue-leaved saxifrage, seen yesterday at Streatley (W. Berks), showing its first blooms - just. Late for #wildflowerhour Common stork's-bill (erodium cicutarium) from my walk yesterday at Streatley (W. Berks). Children traditionally make "scissors" from stork's-bill by sliding one long "bill" through a slit in another, allowing them to open and close. #wildflowerhour #storyplants Wood anemones (anemone nemorosa) seen on my walk yesterday at Streatley (W. Berks). The name is taken from the Greek word anemos (wind). According to ancient legends it blooms only when the wind blows, signalling spring. #wildflowerhour #storyplants Three stars in a row from a local walk (N Hants). The lesser celandine was Wordsworth's favourite flower - he wrote 3 poems in its honour. Paradoxically a greater celandine was carved on his memorial plaque instead of the lesser variety he adored. #wildflowerhour #storyplants Three #whiteflowers from my walk yesterday at Streatley (W. Berks) - hairy bittercress, common chickweed and common whitlowgrass. #wildflowerhour No new flowers for #wildflowerhour on my walk at Streatley (W. Berks) today but took time to watch this early bee working around a daisy flower in the sunshine. Enough bright sunshine yesterday to bring out the flowers of common whitlow grass (pic 1) and hairy bittercress (pic 2) at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour Green hellebore (helleborus viridis) in early flower on the woodland floor, from a rather wet walk yesterday at Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour Lesser celandine (ficaria verna) in some welcome sunshine, from a walk at Streatley (W. Berks), 4th Feb 2026. #wildflowerhour A promise of spring - minute crimson styles peeking out from the buds of female hazel flowers like tiny sea anemones, from walks this week at Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour Spurge laurel, yellow-green blooms for the winter, from a walk this week at Streatley (W. Berks). Late for #wildflowerhour My finds this week from W. Berks & N. Hants for #thewinter10 - common field-speedwell, dandelion, bramble, red clover, common gorse, daisy, ploughman's spikenard, self-heal, shepherd's purse & wild parsnip. #wildflowerhour From my walk this week around Ashford Hill Meadows (N. Hants), pics 2-11 providing this week's #thewinter10 for #wildflowerhour - groundsel, garlic mustard, red campion, white dead-nettle, water forget-me-not, betony, tormentil, common knapweed, nipplewort & herb robert. Wildflowers from my walk yesterday at Streatley (W. Berks) for #thewinter10: bush vetch, rough hawkbit (I think), long-stalked crane's-bill, marjoram, lesser hawkbit, harebell, smooth sowthistle, black horehound, blue fleabane & common centaury. Late for #wildflowerhour My selection for #thewinter10 this week from two downland walks - common milkwort, yarrow, wood avens, clustered bellflower, common toadflax, fairy flax, small scabious, greater knapweed, hogweed and common mouse-ear. #wildflowerhour A small copper butterfly reluctant to move far on a chilly and breezy day, journeying simply fom a dandelion-type flower to a nearby stalk, seen last week at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks). #WildWebsWednesday Possibly the tachinid fly ectophasia crassipennis, feeding off yarrow, seen yesterday on Stockbridge Down (Hants), for #WildWebsWednesday 
