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Tuesday 28 June 2011

Wild flowers.....



....Don't expect this to be an informative post! I only know half a dozen wild flowers and they are REALLY common!  But today Julian Branscombe, of the Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership, came over and led a walk looking at Graemsay wild flowers.  We started down at the old croft of Quoys, which has a burn running beside it, and old, mostly native (to Orkney) trees. Probably the only patch of native trees on Graemsay. I love going down to the old croft house and hearing the sound of the "babbling brook".

Anyway, here is Julian explaining the finer points of....um.... a plant....oooh I remember now, it was a "wild" variety of forget-me-not.... I think......


There were also tree ferns (no not the tropical ones!), these really are ferns that grow on trees (well on Graemsay they do anyway).


 And one of my favourites - a moss covered tree.



Then there was "hay rattle" (ok a bit blurry)


This is Ladies Smock


This one is a potentilla (the wild variety not the cultivated garden one).









And this is a wee Water Sprite!

3 comments:

  1. I remember when we were--maybe we were in Scotland amusing ourselves--and stumbled across a group of nature explorers. I remember the woman calling the group to come over and admire a teeny little flower that was apparently quite rare. Seemed strange to see 10 people all standing in a circle squinting at this tiny flower. (lucky nobody stepped on it!)

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  2. Yup - that was the Primula Scotica. Quite rare and only grows in certain places. It's an alpine primrose - lovely, and, er, easy to step on... we don't have any of those on Graemsay so it's OK to visit!

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  3. And to think that most garden varities come from the wild plants. It is truly amazing.
    Here in Western Australia we have had rain, which means the wild flower season [around August] should be excellent:) In ground that is often dry and seemingly barren carpets of flowers appear as if by magic.

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