Wild Flowers July 2007

The photos below were all taken in North Wales and the Isle of Anglesey. For a change, as I am not a wild flower expert, I would like to invite any suggestions from the wild flower enthusiasts to help identify these plants by comments or email. Alternatively you can just enjoy looking at the selection. I was thrilled with my collection even though many are a bit out of focus – I could barely stand with the strong winds when many were taken!

Identification thanks go to Celia at Purple Podded Peas and Sara at Farming Friends .

C1 Spear Thistle and C2 Creeping Thistle.

C3 Marsh Thistle perhaps?

D1 and D2 are Self Heal - seed head and flower head. (Thanks, Celia)

D3 is Red Deadnettle (Thanks, Celia)

E1 Lesser Trefoil? or Black medick - hard to tell from just the flower (Thanks, Celia)

E2 Common Centaury and E3 Ribwort Plantain (Thanks, Celia)

F1 to F3 Clovers in various stages of growth

G2 Himalayan Balsam (Thanks, Celia)

H1 Herb Robert - a type of wild hardy geranium (Thanks, Celia)

H2 Common Mallow (Thanks, Celia)

H3 Bell heather

I1 to I3 Bird's Foot Trefoil (Thanks, Celia)

J1 Scarlet Pimpernel? (Thanks, Celia)

J2 Fox-and-cubs (Philosella aurantiaca) orange hawkweed.

K1-K3 Hawkweed - various forms (Thanks, Sara). When I photographed these flowers I had no idea how varied the petal structures were. It is hard to beleive they are not cultivated flowers.

L1 Hawkweed again - Sara suggests. At the time I thought it was a dandelion but on looking again at the original photo I agree it could be a Hawkweed (Thanks, Sara)

L2 Perforate St John's Wort - I thought so (Thanks, Sara)

L3 Ranunculus but the leaves will help to identify whether it is the creeping buttercup or the lesser spearwort (Thanks, Sara). I have looked again at the original photo and looking at the foliage I agree it could be a spearwort - but perhaps the greater one?

M1 Cabbage family but need leaves to identify which one (Thanks, Sara). This was a very windy shot and all foliage was blurred.

M2 Lady's Bedstraw (Thanks, Celia)

M3 Tormentil I thought - Sara agrees (Thanks, Sara)

N2 Soldier beetle and N3 Ladybird. I also came across many insects, including bees, when taking photos and the occasional mushroom!

O1 Red Valerian (Thanks, Celia)

O2 White Cinquefoil (Thanks, Sara)

P1 Hogweed? (need to see the leaves to be sure) (Thanks, Celia)

P2 Yarrow (Thanks, Celia)

P3 Bindweed - large perhaps? (found growing twining through plants up a wall)

R1 Maidenhair spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes)

R3 Rusty-back fern (Ceterach officinarum) found growing in walls.

R2 – barley grass perhaps (small low grass, photo taken at the top of the great Orme in Llandudno).

To return to post on shirls gardenwatch go to Wild Flowers July 2007