Part Two of The Bluebell, in which we look its lifecycle and the problem of the invasive Spanish Bluebell

Part Two of The Bluebell In Part 1 of this 2 part series about the Bluebell we looked at where and when you might see this beautiful spring flower bloom, in this part I’ll write more about the lifecycle of this plant and one of the main threats to its existence, the Spanish Bluebell. Fragrant,Continue reading “Part Two of The Bluebell, in which we look its lifecycle and the problem of the invasive Spanish Bluebell”

The Cuckooflower

The Cuckooflower The Cuckooflower, or ‘Lady’s Smock’, has the scientific name; Cardamine pratensis, loosely translating as ‘peppery tasting herb of the meadows’ with Cardamine deriving from the Greek ‘kardamon’, meaning ‘pepper grass’, and the source of many plant names, especially ones used in cooking, and pratensis meaning ‘of the meadow’. It is a very pretty,Continue reading “The Cuckooflower”

Beware the Blackthorn Winter

There are many old rural sayings and bits of wisdom that hold a kernel of truth to them, some of them don’t make much sense at all, others prove to be very useful and well worth paying heed to. One example of the latter is “Beware the Blackthorn Winter”. Blackthorn, prunus Spinosa, a native hedgerowContinue reading “Beware the Blackthorn Winter”

The Red-tailed Bumblebee

The Red-Tailed Bumblebee The Red-tailed Bumblebee’s scientific name is Bombus lapidarius, bombus simply meaning bee and lapidarius meaning ‘relating to stones’, referring to the small mounds of tiny gravel found where the bumblebee has dug a nest. Common and easily identifiable It is a common and easily identifiable Bumblebee found all across the British islesContinue reading “The Red-tailed Bumblebee”