Flowers on Friday

I just managed to go up the hill to see the last of the foxgloves this week in between all the rain we have been having. I was surprised to also see signs of the Bell Heather in flower which seems a little premature to me. Maybe this cold spell is tricking the wild flowers into thinking that autumn is on its way. It certainly seems like it!

Folklore: Originally the plant was referred to as folksglove, which was a reference to fairies because of the plants grow in woodland. The ‘glove’ part of their name was simply due to the flowers looking like glove fingers.

Plant Portrait

(click to enlarge to full size)

A common sight in the gardens or lanes at this time of year. And there is something so very delightful on seeing a bee disappear into a foxglove and hearing it buzzing around inside like a helicopter in a hangar. I try to plant bee and butterfly friendly flowers in my garden and even allow those wildflowers they can’t get enough of, like dead nettles and Meadowsweet.

Hearing them in the garden is such a pleasure: seeing them land on the delicate petals of the hardy geranium, causing it to swing and sway; flitting from one purple flower to another on the foxglove and the hedge woundwort with the pannier-bags on their thighs bulging with pollen.

Bees – one of the pleasures of summer.

NB: Bees go for flowers in blue, white, purple and yellow: Berberis, bluebell, bugle, flowering currant, lungwort, pussy willow, rosemary, dead-nettle, heathers, aquilegia, campanula, comfrey, everlasting pea, geranium, foxglove, honeysuckle, monkshood, stachys, thyme, cornflower, delphinium, fuchsia, lavender, rock-rose, scabious and sea holly.