Spring in Dorset: flowers

My week in Dorset was excellent, and I would recommend The Kingcombe Centre for anyone who wants to be out and about in the countryside, while learning a bit about it - everything from butterflies to woodland history, painting and basket weaving,moths and flowers.  I was delighted to hear Oliver Rackham at first hand, having read many of his books, and it was fascinating to hear him interpret the landscape from ditches and woodbanks, the variations of flora, and place names and maps.  The specific lessons about the ancient Forest of Blackmoor will probably fade quickly, but many of the general points, I am sure, will be of lasting interest.

But today, I thought I would just share some pictures of spring flowers, with another instalment later on notable trees, and a third on other natural history stuff!  This is the last week of April, and so we saw, well known plants like bluebell, primrose, campion, water crowfoot and many others.  But the ones I have chosen to share are, from the top downwards:  gorse or furze; herb Paris; cuckoo flower; Ramsoms or wild garlic; early purple orchid; wood sorrel; yellow archangel.

The climate in Dorset is quite benign, and early for the UK (though much later than last year).  So with a bit of luck, some of these will be with you now or very soon, wherever you are.

Comments

[tacoma flowers]

pretty flowers.

[Mr Cornflower]

Wonderful and very pleasing pictures. Well done and thank you.

[Lindsay]

Gorse does always seem to be in flower - but that's partly because there are three species which have very different flowering periods. Gorse proper is roughly the first half of the year, the dwarf gorses in the second half.

To be a bit more serious, "when gorse is in flower, kissing's in season", for exactly that reason!!

[Cornflower]

Gorse is always in flower, to some extent, and Ramsons (though not yet out here in our garden in the north) is great as a flavour for cheese, or risotto, or just in salad. I like its other name: bear's garlic - any bears currently about in Dorset?

[glo]

Nice colourful pictures! Too bad that we can't smell the flowers.