Wild flowers

[Nemesis]

Here is my second attempt ! This pic-- from an old CD Rom system was taken a number of years ago, just as the mist rolled down. No bald patches in the gorse and heather then !!

[stephenprudence]

Stephen, don't worry about having missed the strawberry tree.  I'm always encouraged by the fact that people who've lived here much longer than me keep discovering new things here - it makes me feel better when I realise that I've missed something!

Blodyn you're right! Imagine how dull life would be if everything was discovered?

It might interest some people to know, even despite the cold winter (which wasn't that cold in Llandudno it would seem), a Phoenix canariensis survived the winter, and is growing! Unbelievable.

Nemesis, that heather landscape is stunning, I love the colour it gives to our upland landscapes/heath all year round.. and of course a vital habitat to our bees!

[Blodyn]

That's a very atmospheric picture, Nemesis. 

Here's a picture of one of the mixed heather / gorse clumps on the Great Orme at the moment and a close up showing what it's composed of: bell heather, heather and western gorse (from left to right). 

Stephen, you're right about the bees.  Unfortunately they're pretty keen on some of the invasive plants, too.  In spring the introduced cotoneasters can be covered with bumblebees.  Such enthusiasm from the pollinators isn't going to help control of the cotoneasters but removing the cotoneasters could also remove a food source for the bees.   
 

[Nemesis]

Lovely pics Blodyn--Amazing how nature co-ordinates her colours

[Blodyn]

Thanks, Nemesis.  I just pointed the camera - nature did the rest, as you say.

Here are some more late summer flowers. 

There are some large patches of devil's-bit scabious in some of the damp areas but these photos don't do them them justice as the flowers are a beautiful deep purple. 

The lovely eyebright is a little plant with tiny flowers but it's quite conspicuous at the moment, growing in clumps amongst the shorter grasses.  It's partially parasitic on the roots of grasses. 

The last plant is interesting botanically but disappointing photographically!  It's an autumn gentian (called felwort in some books) and this is the first time that I've seen it.  I understand that there's quite a lot of it at Newborough, Hugo, but I've not been there at the right time.  I didn't discover this plant myself, as a friend told me where to look and even then I had trouble spotting the small group of plants.  It needs full sun for the flowers to open and although I thought that it was pretty sunny yesterday evening, the plants obviously didn't agree - hence the dull photo.  However, although the photo's dull it was still worth the search and as you say, Stephen, it makes life interesting. 

[hollins]

Love the colours in the bell heather and the autumn gentian photos. Quite inspirational, thank you.
Also thought your last nights photos of the great orme were beautiful.......what peaceful scenes.

[Blodyn]

Thanks, Hollins.  If you translate these colours into one of your projects I hope you'll post the result. 

It was very peaceful on the Orme yesterday evening and despite the very busy day I passed only one other person on my walk. 

[Blodyn]

Ddonovan, it may be time to start looking for your sloes.  I don't know how ripe they need to be for sloe gin but these look as if they're coming along nicely. 

The berries of black bryony are very colourful at the moment - they make me think of traffic lights - don't eat them, though. 

I couldn't resist posting another photo of eyebright.  They're such lovely little flowers.  There are a lot of species and hybrids which I'm not skillful enough to identify but the pink ones and the white ones do appear to be consistently different. 

[stephenprudence]

Just looking at Black Bryony you get the impression it is poisonous. It is a type of Yam of course, and nearly all species of Yam are poisonous.

I'm still to come across Blackcurrant, Recurrant or Blueberry plant in the wild here.

Do they have any of these growing in Llandudno Blodyn? It would be useful for when I move there, as I love picking wild fruit!

[Nemesis]

Just beenlooking at the eyebright, on the hill past the 1/2 way station, so delicate.
Also parted with my pound for a copy of Great Orme wild flowers.

[hollins]

Could you tell me where you bought your book Nemesis?
I think it has been posted before but I couldn't find it when I just tried a search on the forum. It said, "Do you mean Rome wildflower book!"

[Nemesis]

With pleasure Hollins.
I had or so I thought seen it advertised as a poster, which is what I asked for. Eventually it was found as a sort of laminated leaflet!
I got it from the Visitor Centre at the summit of the Orme.
Trust me to go for it when the wind was blowing 7 bells and it was raining sideways ! Got back in the car looking like an ageing punk !

[hollins]

Whose photos are they? Blodyn's?

[Nemesis]

Doesn't say who took the pics. There are 48 of them and the names are in Welsh, English and Latin. On the reverse there is a smallish map of the Orme which tells you which bit is limestone, heath, grassland,cliffs or pavement, which is woodland, which is scrub and a few wells and other places. Also a chart of what flowers when !

[stephenprudence]

Ive heard people compare the Great Orme to parts of Western Ireland/Scotland, where there is great variance of flower species, including native, arctic, and mediterranean species, a real melting pot.

Has anyone found orchids on the Orme?