June 6th – There’s a splendid display of orchids this year in the meadows, wetland margins and by the canal – but sadly many have been destroyed – or stunted – by the agressive local towpath mowing schedule by the Canal and River Trust.
Can they not tolerate a bit of uncut grass for a few weeks while these bee-attracting beauties thrive? Perhaps they could use the manpower to fix some of the leaks and failing infrastructure instead…
May 31st – A very poor photo with lousy focus, but another first for the season: My beloved beauties the orchids are coming into bloom.
They don’t last long, so keep an eye out on canal embankments, meadows and wetlands. We have a number of varieties, and these mall flowers are always tiny perfection.
The slug seemed to be enjoying them too – this example was on the bank of the new pond at Clayhanger.
May 30th – A sign of the advancing season is the collection of seeds for a little guerrilla planting. Clayhanger Common has large patches of cowslips like these going to seed – the seeds are not ready yet. But when the heads dry and turn golden, I’ll be out shaking a few into a back for the precious black seeds within, which I’ll then spread to other areas that might benefit from a bit of cowslip love.
That’s how most of these delightful yellow flowers got onto Clayhanger Common in the first place…
May 30th – So many new wild flowers every day. On a day that was wet, but whose rain I missed whilst in work, I noticed the clover along the Goscote Valley cycleway was looking beautiful in the wet grass.
If you actually study clover flowers, they are amazingly delicate and complex, yet so often overlooked.
A true staple of summer.
April 27th – A mystery finally solved. I first noticed this patch of what appear to be yellow dead nettles in Footherly Lane a few years ago. Every spring they return, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them anywhere else.
This eye-catching yellow display is absolutely gorgeous and fascinated me for the delicate colour and intricacy of the flowers.
After asking online, it turns out the plant is Yellow Archangel or Lamiastrum galeobdolon and indeed is of the same family as the dead nettle, and a staple of our ancient woodlands.
What on earth did we do before being able to use the collective hive mind of the internet for plant identification?
April 18th – There are lots of floral arrivals at the moment but it would be wrong to concentrate on the dramatic, showy ones. One return in the last week or so and enjoying the morning sunshine today from every patch of grass and roadside were a huge number of one of nature’s most overlooked gems – dandelions.
These humble yellow flowers are actually really lovely if you stop and look at them for a bit – which today, I advise anyone to do. They’re really gorgeous.
Sometimes, it’s the little, familiar things that are most beautiful.
April 16th – One thing that has been extraordinary this year is the show from the daffodils. They’ve been out for weeks and are still going strong, and in this morning’s sunshine made even the dull industrial estates of the Black Country beautiful.
March 5th – With warm weather and the snow disappearing, I couldn’t resist a visit to Kings Hill Park to gain some inspiration from the daffodils there, which I have to say were looking splendid.
Hopefully, that will now be the last of the cold weather and we can fully welcome a verdant, colourful spring.
However, one must never forget that the heaviest snows for years came in 2013 at the very end of March…
February 15th – A brighter day, but windy. As long as the sun is out though, this’ll do me. Nipping across town in Darlaston on an errand, what better day to nip into Victoria Park and do a bit of snowdrop spotting?
This winter is strange. Just as I think it’s beaten me, we have a nice day, and I’m saved for a while.
I’ll never tire of this place.
February 12th – The miniature daffodils in Kings Hill Park are always early, and after the frost and snow of the previous night had meted away in the afternoon warmth, I popped to take a look.
The park’s spring flowers are really gearing up for a great display now and I was so pleased to see them.
Welcome back, my little yellow flashes of spring. Welcome back.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 