I've been invited to go on a trek. My neighbour, Esther Montgomery, has suggested I go on a camping holiday, travelling due North through England and Scotland and coming back on the other side (more or less). There will be Esther, her husband, their two children . . . and me! You can see the route plan on her blog - here.
How can one resist? The down-side is that I won't be able to blog while we are gone and, by the time we return, the season will be turning and pictures I have been accumulating for particular posts will have become dated and irrelevant. That's the trouble with a plant blog - you can't put nature on hold!
But I don't want to abandon some of these topics so here are some pictures that were intended for a couple of urban posts.
First, plants which grow along the edge of the pavement and the drop into the water of Weymouth Harbour.
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| In the foreground is the edge of the pavement. The concrete path beyond it is a pontoon where boats moor while waiting for the bridge to lift so they can get into the inner harbour without having their masts lopped! Beyond that is the water of the harbour itself. |
It always astonishes me that plants can grow (and flower!) in such inhospitable places. There's no visible earth. There's traffic on one side, boats on the other. (The engines of some boats can be very fumey when they are start up and turn towards the sea.) The wind can be strong along here and there's salt in the air.
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| The blue is a pipe going down from a tap. You can see the tap itself on my other blog- Message in a Milk Bottle - TAP. |
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| Is there anywhere Buddleia will not grow? |
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| Where plants have no hold - moss takes its chance. |
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| And, down in the gap . . . a leaf floats by. |
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| Below the life-belt case . |
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I had an inland-urban post in line too. Pavements made from bricks have become common - and plants are glad of the cracks between them.
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| Never under-estimate grass! |
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| Some ubiquitous plants don't like to be trodden on. |
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| There can be great variety at the foot of a wall where residents refuse to 'weed'. |
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| Grasses come in many forms. Hurray! |
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| Don't forget to look close-up! The patterns and textures can be impressive. |
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Alright, I know that, however impressed I am that so many plants are able to get their feet into almost impossible places
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. . . most who read Loose and Leafy like to see colour and countryside. Here is a picture which got away when I wrote the post about the under-side of flowers.
I'll be back in September . . . around the 16th I expect.
Have a good August everyone.
Lucy
14 comments:
The sheer tenacity of plant life to grow in any situation never ceases to amaze me.
Your trek sounds very adventurous do take some Compeed plasters for your blisters, it is amazing stuff. Have a great trip.
Have a great trip - and take lots of lovely photos! I really like the way you manage to make potentially mundane things look so special.
Oh, Lucy, my very favourite plants are those that manage to thrive in inhospitable places, and you have found some wonderful examples.
Hope you have a fabulous camping holiday. In fact, I'm sure you will.
I enjoyed this sequence. I always love to see plants popping up in unexpected places. I like the way moss is filling in the cracks in the path up to my front porch as well as into the bricks on the steps. I also have wildflowers volunteering in my house foundation. Maybe not great for the house but I can't bear to pull them up.
Yes, plant life is everywhere, if we look. I found some seedlings growing on a piece of logging equipment recently, in a little dirt which was resting on a horizontal connector!
I like this sequence, but especially the close-up of the grass seed head.
Enjoy your holiday!
You do have a gifted eye for capturing something worth looking at, now you have prompted us to stop, look, at this. Oh and thanks for pointing out Esther has two kids, I got very tangled up.
We will miss your eye for detail and camera captures Lucy but what a wonderful chance for a travelling holiday. Send us a message in a milk bottle!
Absolutely love that last shot, really fab! Have a wonderful time on your travels, I shall look forward to seeing the images when you get back :o)
Great photos and a lovely blog.
That sounds like a fun trek. If you all fancy a cuppa on your way through Derbyshire, pop in to see me in Chesterfield (you can email me via my blog). It'd be great to meet other bloggers!
Either way, have a fun trip!
Hope that you are having a great time on your travels Lucy. Look forward to seeing photos on your return. Enjoyed your post. Himself works at a large chemical manufacturing plant where plants survive and flourish in what looks like the bleakest of conditions :)
Dear Lucy, the little daisies near the buddleia are erigeron. They fill lots of gaps in my garden and are so pretty. I too am fascinated by how determined and strong some plants are. Enjoy the trek. I look forward to reading about it and see photos. cheers, cm
Well this summer has been filled with learning about the healing qualities of plants for me. I have been exploring the realms of alternative medicine as of late and I am seeing the plant world in a whole new light. Almost all of the plants that you mention here are quite medicinal and many of them are actually edible(for the brave and informed that is). I love your blog and I am glad to be back in the blogosphere again.
Just found your blog. Love this post about tenacious plants. Good pics too.
Plants will grow, there is no stopping that!
If you go on the trip, you may not have internet access, but you will have plenty of great new photos to post later! Go and have a great time!
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