#Wildflowerhour Pleased to find Hairy Violet (Viola hirta) amongst calcareous grassland in South Cumbria this week.

Greater Stitchwort #Devon #WildflowerHour

Spring at its finest in the wet woodland reserves. I came across the mysterious Herb Paris, Oxlip and Moschatel lighting everything up 🌼 #WildflowerHour #WoodlandPlants

#Wildflowerhour #Woodlandplants Found in woodland in North Lancashire this week. Bluebells, Wood Sorrel, Opposite -leaved Golden Saxifrage, Common Dog Violet, Greater Stitchwort and Lesser Celandine.

And some #notWoodlandPlants for #WildflowerHour Crosswort, Germander Speedwell, Spring Sedge on the ‘ramparts’ at Avebury, Wild Plum, Hairy Violet, Glaucous Sedge and Field Woodrush. All in Wiltshire.

Some #WoodlandPlants for #WildflowerHour great favourite Herb Paris, Bluebell, Greater Stitchwort, Wild Garlic (no flowers there yet but such a lovely setting), Goldilocks Buttercup and, less pleasingly, masses of Few-flowered Garlic covering wood floor and verge near Colerne.

I don't need much persuading to go on a #WoodlandPlant hunt! This week's #WildflowerHour challenge gave me the perfect excuse this afternoon to go and check on my local Early Purple Orchids, Orchis mascula. They are just getting going, but there was one beautiful stand out specimen. 😍

#WoodlandPlants seen on a walk I led at Collyweston Great Wood NNR yesterday - perfectly timed for peak Bluebell - other highlights included Toothwort, masses of Wood Spurge and a colony of Wood-sorrel growing in the middle of the access track! Names in ALT #wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Beautiful scenes of Wood Anemones and Bluebells in ancient woodland. #WoodlandPlants #wildflowerhour

A tremendous show of Fritillaries at Clattinger Farm, N.Wilts last week including white forms, intermediate and doubles with @jeremyjem.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

The #WildflowerHour #WoodlandPlants challenge happily coincided with the week I carried out "Operation Oxlip" in West Cambridgeshire ancient woodland! Lovely Oxlip, Primula eliator, and also the hybrid with Primrose, P.vulgaris. The most obvious example (to my eye) of P. x digenea in pic on right. 💛

It's Sunday, it's 8pm so it must be #WildFlowerHour! Please share pix of any wild or naturalised plants you've spotted in bloom this week across Britain & Ireland including any #WoodlandPlants. Mystery plant? Use #WildFlowerID to summon ID help from friendly @wildflowerhour.bsky.social botanists!

A visit to Wiltshire Wildlife Trust's Clattinger Farm with @timnmosborne.bsky.social to see the beautiful Snake's-head Fritillaries (Fritillaria meleagris), including white & double-flowered forms, flowering in the wet meadows. #WildflowerHour @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

#WoodlandPlants in ancient woodland in N. Wilts. for #WildflowerHour: Moschatel, Greater Stichwort, Goldilocks Buttercup, Primrose, Wood Spurge, Toothwort, Wood Sedge, Common Dog-violet, Wood Sorrel & Bluebell. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

#Wildflowerhour #WoodlandPlants In Wye Valley woodlands near Monmouth the Bluebells are abundant. Hyacinthoides non-scripta

What can you find flowering in woodland? That’s the challenge this week from Wildflowerhour! Post your finds using the hashtag #WoodlandPlants for #WildflowerHour this Sunday 8-9pm. Happy flower-hunting!

Photographed on a rather dull day this weekend, in Dorset, for #CowslipChallenge, these roadside Cowslips bring some sunshine of their own 💛 #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Very late for #WildflowerHour but here are Moschatel, Cuckoo Pint, Cuckoo-flower, Slender Speedwell, Cowslip and Wild Garlic from Wiltshire

Happy Easter Sunday! So looking forward to seeing what you have found blooming from across Britain & Ireland in the last week, did you manage to spot a Cowslip? Don’t worry if not, all wild & naturalised flowers are welcome for #wildflowerhour!

Cowslips in N. Wilts. for the #WildflowerHour #CowslipChallenge, including specimens of the rare red variety mentioned by Stace (2019) and the showy False Oxslip - a natural hybrid between Cowslip & Primrose. (See ALT for details). @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Some other plants in flower in N. Wilts. for #WildflowerHour: Cow Parsley, Lady's Smock, Bulbous Buttercup, Greater Stitchwort, Moschatel, Toothwort, Bluebell, Bird Cherry, Marsh Marigold & Germander Speedwell. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Also from SW France, Narrow-leaved Lungwort, abundant in shady woodland margins. #charentemaritime.

And the lovely wild Grape Hyacinth, diminutive compared to our cottage garden variety. Growing here in SW France in hedgerows, vineyards and almost anywhere which isn’t strimmed! #charentemaritime

In SW France, Early Spiders in the garden. Wild plants. About fifteen with more showing daily. #charentemaritime @europeanorchids.bsky.social

Frothy Field Maple, Acer campestre, flowers at Hoblingwell Wood in LB Bromley for this week's #WildflowerHour #TreeFlowers challenge.

Some #treeflowers spotted in N. Wilts. for the #WildflowerHour challenge: Norway Maple, Ash, Hornbeam, Goat Willow (♂), Blackthorn, Black Poplar (♂), Norway Spruce, Wild Cherry, Yew (♂) & Hazel (♀). @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Who's a very handsome duck then? Lovely male Teal at Dawlish Warren. 🤎💚

Sometimes when we are botanising we can forget to look up! Which would be a shame as #treeflowers are both fascinating & beautiful! This week’s challenge is to go looking for wild & naturalised trees that are blooming. Share your finds for #WildflowerHour this Sunday 8-9pm!

#Wildflowerhour #Storyplant. Butterbur (Petasites hybridus). Huge leaves were used in times prior to refrigeration for wrapping butter. The large pliable leaves were thick enough to protect butter and soak up any seepage. They are also used as umbrellas and sunshades.

A local population of Fritillary I didn’t know about was thrill of the week but Toothwort, Bluebell & Wood Anemone, New Zealand Bittercress (another thrill!), Shaggy Soldier and Twayblade were other delights #WildflowerHour

Coltsfoot (aka Son-before-Father), Tussilago farfara, at Hutchinson's Bank. As the shape of its leaves resemble lungs as much as they do a colt's foot, it has been traditionally used as an treatment for coughs and respiratory ailments (tussis is Latin for a cough). #WildflowerHour #StoryPlants 1/2

Some Sweet Violet (Viola odorata) variants from N. Wilts. as #wildflowerhour #storyplants. Long used for the treatment of throat & respiratory tract conditions, such as bronchitis and whooping cough. The crystallized flowers are also used as edible decorations. @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Wood Anemones (Anemone nemorosa) in N. Wilts. as #wildflowerhour #storyplants. It is said that fairies hide inside the flowers and pull the petals closed to stay dry during rain showers. They are poisonous, but leaves used to make poultices for sores and inflamed eyes. @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Marsh marigolds (Caltha palustris) in N. Wilts. as #wildflowerhour #storyplants. It is a powerful, early-spring protective herb, associated with Beltane and May Day. The flowers were placed on doorsteps, in windows, or worn to ward off evil spirits and fairies. @bsbibotany.bsky.social

As we wait for the arrival of spring to catch up in some places, something a bit different for this week’s challenge! Many wild plants have interesting stories to tell. Find one & share your pics with a fascinating fact using hashtag #storyplants for #wildflowerhour Sunday 8-9pm!

Best of the rest for #WildflowerHour this week in #Preston Butterbur, red dead nettle, opposite leaved yellow saxifrage, a larch rose, my 1st coltsfoot, wild garlic in bud, forget-me-nots, comfrey & nearly town hall clock! @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #vitaminN #Lancashire

#Wildflowerhour #Whiteflowerschallenge. Posting early this week as I'm off to a gig shortly. Found in North Lancashire this week. Snowdrop, Barren Strawberry, Common Daisy, Common Chickweed, Cherry Plum and Shepherd's Purse

Plenty of #WhiteFlowers out there for the #wildflowerhour challenge this week! See ALT text for details of my favourites including that lovely white Violet. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Butterbur, Petasites hybridus, looking all weird and wonderful on the bank of the River Wandle. #WildflowerHour

#wildflowerhour #whiteflowers Deadnettle with its top nibbled off, a white red deadnettle, daisy, white violet.

My local Cherry Plum was looking breathtakingly beautiful this week, perfect for the #whiteflowers #wildflowerhour challenge! 🤍

#WhiteFlowers for #WildflowerHour Danish Scurvygrass, Rue-leaved Saxifrage, Three-cornered Leek, two Sweet Violets (var. dumetorum on left and var. imberbis on right, I think 😬) and Tuberous Comfrey - thousands of plants along verge and carpeting woodland in north Wiltshire. Not a welcome plant!

After a bit of a search and some acrobatic moments on a steep slope, I was pleased to find Toothworth (Lathraea squamaria) flowering in N. Wilts. Here it is parasitising Hazel (Corylus avellana). #WildflowerHour @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Some #WhiteFlowers (or mostly white) in N. Wilts. for the #WildflowerHour challenge: Barren Strawberry, Wild Cherry, Cherry Plum, Blackthorn, Wood Anemone, Sweet Violet, Toothwort, Summer Snowflake, White Dead-nettle & Wavy Bittercress. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Can you find any wild or naturalised plants that have white blooms? That’s the #wildflowerhour challenge this week! Share your finds this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #WhiteFlowers. Happy flower hunting! @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Lovely Wood Anemone, (aka Windflower), Anemone nemorosa, among the Daffodils at Lesnes Abbey Woods. #WildflowerHour #SignsOfSpring

It's Súnday, it's 8pm so it must be #WildFlowerHour! Please share pix of any wild or naturalised plants you spotted in bloom last week across Britain & Ireland including any #SignsofSpring. Mystery plant? Use #WildFlowerID to summon help from friendly @wildflowerhour.bsky.social botanists!

#Wildflowerhour #Signsofspring Wild Daffodils, Barren Strawberry, Early Dog Violet, Primrose, Lesser Celandine and Bluebell found in South Cumbria this week.

The Wild Daffodils, Narcissus pseudonarcissus subsp. pseudonarcissus, at Lesnes Abbey Woods are looking spectacular at the moment. 💛 #WildflowerHour #SignsOfSpring

#Wildflowerhour #Signsofspring. One of my favourite spring flowers is Yellow Star Of Bethlehem (Gagea lutea) seen in Cumbria this week.