Until July 2017, documenting the seasons of coastal Dorset. I'm a complete amateur so don't trust I'm always right. If ever you see I'm wrong - whether with identifications or in anything else - do say! Meanwhile . . . I've now moved to Halifax in West Yorkshire. Click on the link below to collect the new URL. Don't forget to follow there!

Tuesday 2 April 2013

OH ALRIGHT - THERE ARE FLOWERS TOO!

While bemoaning grey days and bleak economics, one can't pretend that green plants and bright flowers aren't great lifters-of-spirits-ers.

There are the obvious ones for the time of year.

Blackthorn blossoms - white and showing stamens

Like blackthorn blossoms that open before their leaves arrive.

And I am specially encouraged by flowers which spring open in city streets. Ones which live there despite the odds. (Or, perhaps it's odd that we don't expect them and sometimes don't see them there.)

Bud of blue flower with purple tinge.
March 26th 2013

This flower is growing at the top of a flight of underpass steps in Bournemouth city centre. (A city with a population of around 168,000.) It's a Speedwell. Maybe a Common Field-Speedwell (Veronica persica) (which can also be called 'Persian Speedwell' - pretty exotic name as well as pretty flower!).  Or it might be a Green Field-Speedwell (Veronica agrestis). Maybe I'll get a definite ID from iSpot?

Full view of the plant with blue flowers.
March 26th 2013

This is the plant the flower is growing from. As you can see, there are quite a few buds waiting to open.

And between the cobbles of speed bumps in a Weymouth housing estate.

March 31st 2013

Common Whitlowgrass (Erophila verna). Each flower takes up about two square millimeters. These are not growing in a busy road - but dustcarts and cars do drive over them. I doubt (though I haven't stood there to check) that anyone (except me and people who've stopped to ask why I'm crawling around in the road) have noticed they are there.

Oh, and why not

Daisies in grass in front of flats and basket ball hoop.
March 31st 2013

notice the daisies? These are growing in an un-trampled area of a park. Unsurprisingly un-trampled because there is one basket ball hoop and one five aside goal. Not entirely inspiring when both are for team sports!

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Unique, to make our day.
Costas

Mark and Gaz said...

Little signs of cheer and hope on such a cold spring so far...

Janet said...

My daisies are out too. A bit previous?

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

I've often wondered about the identity of some of the random flowers try to live outside the boundaries of a proper garden.

Wayne said...

It's wonderful to see some flowers and SUN!

Mark Willis said...

Some of those urban "weeds" are amongst the most resilient plants of all, and will happily survive being repeatedly walked on, driven over and mowed. Not something that can be said of most of our garden plants.

Anonymous said...

How lovely to see Blackthorn in bloom; last year all the blossom was decimated by the weather and we had no sloes - disaster!

Tim said...

Another excellent post. Really like the daisy photograph - the composition and the wonderful sky really make the photo imo.

Anonymous said...

Surprisingly daisies can be seen in flower just about all year round. Thanks to your posts like this one I now dawdle more often looking at, and for, flowers like these. Flighty xx

Francesco Miranda said...

Ha ha, it really is a funny coincidence to have posted the same day a <a href="http://www.photo-roma.net/2013/04/primavera.html>photo</a> with the same flowers (daisies and speedwells)

:-)

Carol said...

It is remarkable how life can stretch out and take hold against all odds. A lovely metaphor Lucy. Lovely photographs too. I love the daisies and the basketball hoop.

Anonymous said...

What lovely signs of spring.

Unknown said...

Lovely blooms. Great shots.

Donna said...

How lovely to find flowers everywhere if we just look....