Flowers of Milham Ford Nature Park in Spring
3 March 2020 Judy tweeted: 'It's the sheer quantity of flowers of this common plant that impresses, and big numbers are so important as nectar sources to the spring bees and butterflies out. We need abundance of common flowers as well as diversity'. She spotted the first brimstone butterfly, a brown-tailed bumble bee and a hairy-footed flower bee in the park, as well as saving the home of some yellow meadow ants from being overgrown by brambles.
Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara
Photo Judy Webb, 22 March 2020 - full-sized photos here
Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara
Photo Judy Webb, 22 March 2020 - full-sized photos here
4 March 2020 For Judy's tweet about the fritillaries (23 March) and her photos taken the previous day, when she counted 200, click here
"The name Fritillaria comes from the Latin fritillus meaning dice-box, possibly referring to the chequered pattern on the flowers although this derivation has been disputed. The name meleagris means "spotted like a guineafowl".The common name "snake's head" probably refers to the somewhat snakelike appearance of the nodding flower heads, especially when in bud, on their long stems. Vita Sackville-West called it "a sinister little flower, in the mournful colour of decay." Extract from info given by Wikipedia |
20 April 2020 The abundance of cowslips in the park is the result of seed-sowing by volunteers in past years, some as long ago as 10 November 2010 More photos taken on 20 April 2020 |