Emma's Safaris

Today’s walk was a little chilly and a lot of the local fauna had made the wise decision to stay safely inside. Birds were far fewer in numbers than usual and were no doubt hunkering down in their nests or high up in the branches waiting for the welcome reprieve of the late morning sun

The local flora however, well this was just as vibrant and noticeable as always so I have taken this opportunity to share a few images and facts about some of my favourite flowers and plants.

Bracken (Pteridium) is a fascinating plant. It can reproduce with a mix of asexual and sexual reproduction. Existing colonies of bracken will simply spread using the fronds which spread out across many metres. New colonies however will actually spread by the dispersal of spores which will land and establish fiddleheads which are essentially new fronds and they are the curled up bits that look a bit like caterpillars you see in the edges of the leaves.

The fiddleheads are actually edible (when carefully cultivated!) And are often pickled or ground to make desserts in some Asian countries. Bracken does grow on every single continent in the world with the exception of Antarctica so it is always readily available.

My quest to find more flowers was briefly interrupted by the arrival of two of my favourite mammals. A rabbit popped his head out over the buttercups and I paused briefly to snap a picture. He was very obliging.

Across the path just ahead a fox moved quickly from the long grass to the left of the path and ran quickly across the field. I have a strong suspicion that this is the same individual I saw previously, rabbit in mouth as the location and path taken were almost identical. She was quite happy for me to take a couple of shots and paused to look at me every now and again, clearly curious as to what I was up too. I did however have trouble getting a close up image of her as every time I aligned the camera she would move on. It is however really good to finally know when and where I may run into her again.

Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) however are a much more static kind of fox! I have noticed a few dotted around recently and this one is particularly magnificent. They are so wonderfully tall with the highest ever recorded reaching a staggering 11 feet!

There are two main theories on how the Foxglove got its name. The first is based on the gaelic name lus nam ban-sìth which translates to “plant of the fairies”. It is theorised that the little flowers would make the perfect hats for mythical fairies.

My favourite theory though is that the name originates as the flowers would be perfect for foxes to use as gloves. The idea being they would slip a pair on and be able to move stealthily and silently while stalking their prey.

Outside someone’s garden wall something beautiful caught my eye. This is the stunningly beautiful Californian Lilac (Ceanothus) and there are no prizes for guessing where abouts in the world this originates from!

Over in North America this shrub would have been consumed in certain months of the year when it contains the highest mount of nutrients and is known to be particularly high in Calcium so it is quite popular with Mule Deer. Here in the UK though it is simply a beautiful hardy shrub that is a form favourite of gardeners around the Country.

Another firm favourite is the Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica) . I read something recently which for some reason I can not find any corroborating evidence for but I like to think that it is true. It states that the centre of the flower turns white once bees have taken all the pollen ensuring that those still with pollen to spare will never be forgotten.

The Forget-me-not is also of course the flower associated with the Alzheimer’s society in the UK while in Alaska it is the States flower.

The above photo I can not take credit for. This is a stock image provided by Word Press but it shows some flowers which I long to find but seldom see in the UK. This is Fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) which grows in abundance in Alaska.

Alaskans will often see the arrival of Fireweed blooms as an indication that snow is on the way. It has an ability to grow through the seasons and display it’s most colourful blooms at this time.

In the UK Fireweed is known as “bomber weed”. It is a particularly versitile plant and can actually grow in areas where there have been forest fires. In the UK it got its name as it was often found in huge craters caused by bombs during WW2.

Finally, at the end of my walk I spied today’s star of the show and that is this beautiful Rhododendron. This is a stunning flower quite similar to Azalea except it has far more stamen. It originates in the Himalaya region and is the National flower of Nepal where it is carefully cultivated and enjoyed pickled due to its sour taste.

Today’s walk was beautiful. Flowers and shrubs appear everywhere I turn and there is such an abundance here in Worcestershire that I have so much to research and learn.

Even when the weather can be overcast it is always beautiful and you can always rely on the power of flowers to bring vibrant colour into your day.

Thank you for reading as always. Have a beautiful day everyone x