The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower

Explore the world of botany with easy wildflower identification in the urban environment. Join me, a novice botanist, on my journey of discovery

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Want to learn more about the plants you see everyday? Or struggling to connect to nature because you live in an urban area? I have created this new blog to help with just those things! First plant post is up, keep an eye out on your walks!
https://t.co/NhWP5JeCpY

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Adder's Tongue Fern, Ophioglossum vulgate, from Kent Botanical Recording Group's visit to Monkton Nature Reserve.
Loved that they were only a couple of cm tall.

One more flower off the #30for30 list. 8 down now!

#adderstonguefern #ophioglossumvulgatum

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Yellow rattle at Durlston CP and Samphire Hoe this week. Possibly one of my favourite plants, and great for helping to establish other wildflowers in grasslands due to their semi-parasitism on grasses
#wildflowerhour #yellowrattle #parasiticplant

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Sainfoin and Spiders at Samphire!
#EarlySpiderOrchids past their best but glad I managed to see them.
On the other hand, the #Sainfoin is just starting to bloom and looking beautiful 😍
That's 2 more flowers off the #30for30 list
@SamphireHoe1997

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Great to visit Durlston Country Park. Enjoyed the swathes of Thrifts, Armeria maritima.
These coastal flowers are often found all over the cliffs of the British coastline, which have led to it also being called "Cliff Clover"
#thrifts #armeriamaritima

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Out in the garden this week admiring all my #NoMowMay finds. Forget-me-not, Dandelion, Daisies and a sweet little pansy #lawnflowers #wildflowerhour

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Amazing day on Friday at Denge Wood with the Kent Botanical Recording Group and Wildflower Society looking for Lady Orchids. 6 flowering species of orchid found 😍
#wildflowerhour

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Loving the Oxeye Daisies starting to appear
#wildflowerhour #oxeyedaisy

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

A few more chalk grassland flowers from Monday's plant hunt - ground ivy, cowslips, salad Burnet and milkwort
#wildflowerhour

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Plus, an unexpected bonus today, another #30for30 off the list - Bogbean, Menyanthes trifoliata. How brilliant are these fringed flowers! 5 found, 25 to go!
#bogbean #menyanthestrifoliata

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

You know you've been on a grasses identification course when your table looks like this at the end of the day! Fantastic day getting to grips with grasses 🌾 Thank you @ArvensisEcology for a great course! @CIEEMnet @FieldStudiesC

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

A little detour to Barton Hills Nature Reserve to see the Pasqueflowers, Pulsatilla vulgaris. A super rare flower in the UK, it can only be found on a few chalk grassland sites across the country. One more off the #30for30 list. 4 down, 26 to go!
#pasqueflower #pulsatillavulgaris

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Hawthorn flowers coming in nicely, spring is on its way! #wildflowerhour #treeflowers

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Common Whitlowgrass, Erophila verna, on my drive today
#wildflowerhour

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Lovely walk along the Stour and lots of Cuckoo flowers, Cardamine pratensis, to be seen
#wildflowerhour

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

My only find from Iffley Meadow, the Cowslip. Sadly couldn't find any Snake's Head Fritillary this time, hopefully will find some this year to tick it off my 30 for 30 list
#wildflowerhour #iffleymeadows #cowslip

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

So lovely to get out this week and see so many flowers 🌸 spring is finally coming #wildflowerhour

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

They've arrived! Going to have to rearrange the bookcase to fit them in! 📚
#PlantAtlas2020 @BSBIbotany

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

It's a bit chilly today so the flowers were shut but the Lesser Celandine are beginning to appear
#lessercelandine #wildflowerhour

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

Today I headed out to find Wild Daffodils in Lesnes Abbey. The petals are a lovely buttery yellow with a darker centre and greyish leaves compared to commercial flowers. Lesnes Abbey is one of the few places on the SE to see a good show of #WildDaffodils
#wildflowerhour

[The Secret Life of the Urban Wildflower @WildflowerUrban]

And obviously for this time of year, here are also some obligatory snowdrops photos!

#snowdrops #dansonpark #sunrise #botany #botanyphotography #winterflowers