For #CabbageFamily for #wildflowerhour it’s American Winter-cress from me

Gorse Weevil, Exapion ulicis (I think!) Only 2-3mm. The female has much longer rostrum than male. Small round holes on stems and spines may indicate adult feeding signs. Larvae emerge inside seed pod. Tried as a biological control agent in Australia and NZ

Maybe it’s the same one that has arrived at my place in Carmarthenshire. They nest in my boxes 😊

All set up for a talk at the Carmarthenshire Meadows Group spring meeting.
‘Big Meadow Search: The first 5 years’

Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus.
Females use a variety of plants for egg laying. The spring generation mainly chooses Holly along with Spindle, dogwoods and Gorse. The summer generation mainly choose Ivy along with Bramble, buckthorns and Snowberry.

I can beat that….I bought an ecology book and was offered ballet shoes!!

Find a flower with 4 free petals arranged in a cross shape & you’ve found a member of the Brassicaceae! It’s a huge family & the challenge this week for #Wildflowerhour is to find a wild or naturalised member of the #CabbageFamily in flower. Share your finds this Sunday 8-9pm!

It’s a female Dog’s Mercury for #WoodlandPlants for #wildflowerhour
Showing bristly, two-lobed ovary with two stigmas

I think that experience, familiar to many of us, needs a particular term…..not sure what though!

Great photos

Common Nettle, Urtica dioica. Look out for Nettle Rust Fungus, Puccinia urticata on stems and leaves. Common and widespread.

Found Dandelions affected by fasciation in two places today.
Fasciation or cresting: abnormal growth pattern. Apical meristem (growing tip) elongates perpendicular to direction of growth. Causes flattened or contorted tissue. Can affect stem, root, flower or fruit.

Navelwort. Umbilicus rupestris. Keep a look out for the rust fungus Puccinia umbilici.

Groundsel, Senecio vulgaris. Keep a lookout for the rust fungus, Puccinia lagenophorae. Also found on Daisy, Bellis perennis.

Pictured is the beautiful Wood Sorrel, Oxalis acetosella. Many of the gorgeous plants to be found in woodland are ancient woodland indicators, as they grow and spread slowly over many years. Why not visit your local patch and see what you can find for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm!

What can you find flowering in woodland? That’s the challenge this week from Wildflowerhour! Post your finds using the hashtag #WoodlandPlants for #WildflowerHour this Sunday 8-9pm. Happy flower-hunting!

Must have had their minds on other things!

This is probably of no interest but I have just walked my alpacas from one field to another along a ‘weed’ strewn gravel track and they weren’t interested in eating any Shepherd’s Purse plants. They ate plenty of other things. Maybe a wine jous might have made a difference!

Great photo

The Streamer, Anticlea derivata. Flies April-May. Common and widely distributed.
Main larval foodplant is Dog-rose.

It’s a ‘nearly flower’ as well as actual flowers for the #CowslipChallenge for #wildflowerhour

I’m on a roll…. Found my 3rd new site for it this week 😊

Take a look for Celandine Clustercup Rust, Uromyces dactylidis on Lesser Celandine, Ficaria verna.

Just found it in a new place 😊 This is the typical habitat where I have found it in Carmarthenshire

Now is a good time to look for……Moschatel, Adoxa moschatellina or ‘Town hall clock’. Up to 15cm. Long-stalked, cube-shaped flower heads with 1 flower each side & single upwards-facing flower. Long-stalked leaves with 3-lobed leaflets & sharp apical point. Petiole channelled.

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Have you seen a Cowslip in bloom this year? This week’s challenge is to find one and share your pics for #wildflowerhour this Sunday using the hashtag #CowslipChallenge. Happy flower hunting! 💛

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