White deadnettle, Lamium album. Another ‘nettle’ that is not actually a nettle but a member of the mint family. Like the red deadnettle it bears no sting. Photo: Stephen Middleton WT
Enchanter’s nightshade, Circaea lutetiana. It has small pinky white flowers between June and August. it’s a ‘hairy’ plant with hairs seen on the leaves (both sides) and leaf stalks (petioles). Despite its name, enchanter’s nightshade is unrelated to other nightshades. It actually belongs to the willowherb family. WT. Photo: Stephen Middleton
Pyracantha. Pyracantha is a genus of large, thorny evergreen shrubs in the rose family Rosaceae. They are native to an area extending from Southwest Europe east to Southeast Asia. They have a white rose flower and resemble and are related to Cotoneaster, but have serrated leaf margins and numerous thorns (Cotoneaster is thornless). On Parkland Walk it is certainly a […]
Common Valerian, Valeriana officinalis. It bears sweetly scented pink or white flowers that attract many fly species, especially hoverflies. It is consumed as food by the larvae of some butterflies and moths. Valerian has been used as a herb in traditional medicine since at least the time of ancient Greece and Rome. Hippocrates described its properties, and Galen later prescribed […]
Wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca. The Wild Strawberry is not actually the ancestor of commercial strawberries but it does have an excellent flavour. Its white flowers appear from April to July and the small but very tasty fruits follow soon after. WT
Yorkshire fog, Holcus lanatus. Yorkshire fog is a grass with velvety grey-green leaves and round shoots. The base of the shoots are white with pink stripes or veins – these are used in identification and are known by certain ecologists as ‘stripey pyjamas’. It’s a popular food source with Speckled Wood, Small Skipper and Wall butterflies. Photo: www.ukwildflowers.com
Yarrow, Achillea millefolium. A list of alternative names reflect its uses in herbal medical treatments and early brewing techniques. The genus name is derived from the Greek character, Achilles, who reportedly carried it with his army to treat battle wounds. Names include Field hops, Knight’s milefoil, Nosebleed, Old man’s pepper, Soldier’s Woundwort, and Sanguinary.
Russian vine, Fallopia baldschuanica. Known by several common names including mile-a-minute and silver lace vine, it is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family. It is a fast-growing plant that is grown as cover but has the capacity to grow beyond its intended limits. It is another of the species that needs to be kept under control or it […]
Ribwort plantain, Plantago lanceolata. The deep veins visible on the leaves have earned the species its name ‘ribwort’. Ribwort plantain is probably the most constant and widespread component of natural and semi-natural grassland in Britain. Photo: www.wildlifeinsight.com
Old man’s beard, Clematis vitalba. Old man’s beard or Traveller’s joy is a climbing shrub of the Clematis family with branched, grooved stems, deciduous leaves, and scented greeny-white flowers with fluffy underlying sepals which give the beard effect which recalls Father Christmas’s beard in December. It’s not particularly popular with insects and needs to be controlled or it will smother whole […]
