After a successful thread started back in March 2020 at the start of the first lockdown, its probably about time to start a new one for 2022. Thank you to all for your contributions, no matter how small or big, each has been valuable and interesting, and hopefully you will continue to contribute to the 2022 thread.
The old thread: Plants, flowers and shrubs; Share your photos here can be viewed on the link below
https://community.rspb.org.uk/chat/f/the-tea-rooms/206836/plants-flowers-and-shrubs-share-your-photos-here#pifragment-4313=1
I'll kickstart this thread with some snowdrops that have come out in flower, crocuses will be out in many places soon, and then daffodils, and many more to follow throughout the year, and it will be nice to see what wild or garden plants, flowers or shrubs you come across on your wanders or around your garden. Without these plants, flowers and shrubs, nature would struggle to survive, they all a part of the valuable cycle of life, insects need them, birds need the insects, and so on through to the mammals,
I mentioned daffodils, these shoots are growing very well among the snowdrops, and it won't be long before the bluebells start showing shoots...
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
Its safe to say I saw lots of Wild flowers this time and that was in only half an hour aswell
Interestingly I noticed the most abundant ones on the walk was Wartleaf Caenothus Japanese Snowball, green Alkanet, Buttercups, Daisys, furs, pines, Cypress, Silver Birch, and Maples mainly Japanese Maple. And then Rapeseed, and Carpet Bugle. And Brambles. Cows Parsley, Thistles, Groundels.
I noticed Others were less abundant there was a Poppy but I only saw one. I saw one or two Oaks And some Cowslip but there wernt as much of those. I also saw some herb Robert, and Celandine, aswell but there wasn’t much of those either. But There were some plants that I get I see closer to me aswell. They were mainly near shops and buildings by the roadside near a town- the kind of place I avoid cause I prefer quiet places. But on this rare occasion I went cause I needed to help someone deliver something there so I saw the flowers on the way there and back. Interestingly apart from the cows Parsley, buttercups, Daisy, thistles, Groundels and Silver Birch, conifers, that are very abundant closer to me some of the more abundant flowers down near the town like Bugle, Japanese Maple, Rapeseed, Great Alkanet are less abundant much closer to me.
the ones that were less abundant further away and near the town like Oak and herb robert for example were more abundant closer to me locally.
Interesting yes, but to me not surprising.
Many of these have been brought over to the UK and while they manage to maintain steady numbers in their homeland, here, the climate and ground is perfect, so they thrive profusely, often taking over.
I have a big problem in the garden with green alkanet, and its roots are worse than dandelions, they are thick, almost tuba thick and very deep rooted. The chances are the green alkanet has been brought in as part of the natural polentation process, likewise the snowbells we also have, which will get thinned out later this year.
My garden isn't a showpiece, its tidy without being manicured, somewhere to relax and let the day go by, and the bees love the green alkanet, so some will stay in a dedicated area.
Some from the garden over the last couple of days.
The original erysimum, planted around four years ago, still looking good
And the other erysimum, planted almost two years ago, also looking good.
The lavender, also planted around four years ago, looking good
and likewise, the lavender planted almost two years ago, looking good
The next two links from my Flickr pages, show what it can grow like,
where the plants grows a flow like head:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/peak-rambler/43064876012/in/album-72157667872360587/
and what the flower head looks like close up:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/peak-rambler/41303720050/in/album-72157667872360587/
And finally, before the grass gets cut later today, the overlooked buttercup
Plants , flowers , shrubs and a tree..or 2 ....my soggy area has now had a makeover...installed a raised bed ...you can just see the logroll edging but we wanted it full like a jungle...some of my seedlings are in there aswell..hope the wildlife enjoy it ...provides extra cover for them ...my jungle is slowly progressing lol
(Pardon the Scottish Accent)
Alongside the path from the car park to the visitor centre at Loch Garten, there was a lot of cotton grass