Ivydene Gardens Gentian to Goosefoot Wild Flower Families Gallery:
Click on Underlined Text in:- Common Name to view that Plant Description Page |
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Geranium Family:- There are Cranesbills (Geranium) and Storksbills (Erodium) in the Wild Flower Geranium Family. Cranesbills are "non-woody plants whose deeply palmately lobed or cut leaves have stipules at their base. Their flowers are some shade of pink, red, mauve or purple, with 5 petals, 5 petals often ending in a bristle, and prominent stamens. Their fruits have 5 segments curling upwards from the base when ripe, and end in a long pointed beak, whence the name 'crane's bill'. The garden 'Geraniums' mostly belong to the closely related tender genus Pelargonium." Storksbills are "annuals which differ from Cranesbills in their pinnate or toothed leaves, and the long spiral twist to the beak of their fruits. Flowers usually pinkish-purple, with unnotched petals, only half the 10 stamens with anthers." from Collins Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers by David McClintock and R.S.R. Fitter assisted by Francis Rose - ISBN 0 00 219363 9 - Eleventh Impression 1978. Geranium Family plant table with its Common Name - Botanical Name. Flowering Months Range. Habitat with link to that Gentian to Goosefoot Wild Flower Families Gallery:- |
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Common Name |
Botanical Name |
Flowering Months |
Habitat |
CRANESBILLS |
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Bloody Cranesbill |
Geranium sanguineum |
A rhizomatous, perennial herb of base-rich grasslands and scrub, open rocky woodlands, coastal cliffs and stabilised sand dunes; mainly on the coast but also inland on limestone pavements and cliff ledges, and in chalk and limestone grassland. As a native it has a curiously patchy distribution, and is often restricted to localised substrates such as dolerite and serpentine. It also occurs as a garden escape or throw-out on grassy banks, verges, tips and waste ground. 0-420 m (Ingleborough, Mid-W. Yorks.). |
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Flower from County Clare in June |
Flowers |
Foliage from Oxwich Burrows on 11 July |
Form from Poulsallagh on 12 June |
Cut-leaved Cranesbill |
Geranium dissectum |
An annual of grasslands, hedge banks, waysides and waste ground, and a common weed of flower borders, allotments and arable fields. Generally lowland, but reaching 380 m at Braemar (S. Aberdeen). |
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Flower from Rochester in Kent on 28 July |
Flowers from garden in Rochester Kent in June |
Foliage from Rochester on 28 July |
Form from Rochester on 28 July |
Dovesfoot Cranesbill |
Geranium molle |
An annual found in a wide array of open habitats, including dry grasslands, rock outcrops, cultivated land, garden lawns, verges and waste ground. Generally lowland, but reaching 550 m at Moor House (Westmorland). |
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Flower from Borough Green in Kent on 7 May |
Flowers from South Dartmoor in May |
Foliage from Borough Green o 7 May |
Form from Borough Green on 7 May |
Dusky Cranesbill (Brauner Storchschnabel in Germany, brunnäva in Sweden, donkere ooievaarsbek in Dutch) |
Geranium phaeum |
May-June |
This clump-forming perennial herb is well-naturalised on roadsides and railway banks, and in churchyards and wood-borders; it usually grows close to habitation as a garden escape or throw-out but is sometimes deliberately planted in the wild. It favours shaded situations and moist, fertile soils. Lowland. |
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Flower in June |
Flowers in June |
Foliage |
Form |
French Cranesbill |
Geranium endressi |
June-August |
A rhizomatous perennial herb found as a garden escape on grassy or wooded banks and roadsides around habitation; also occurring as a garden throw-out on rubbish tips and waste ground. Lowland. Native of the Western French Pyrenees. |
Herb Robert |
Geranium robertianum |
An annual or biennial shade-tolerant herb found on a wide range of soil types, except those that are strongly acidic. Its habitats include woods, hedgerows, walls, shaded banks, limestone pavements, screes and coastal shingle; also in disturbed artificial habitats. 0-700 m (Great Dun Fell, Westmorland). |
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Flower in May |
Flowers in May |
Foliage with White Flowers |
Form with White Flowers in June |
Italian Cranesbill (kurjenpolvilaji in Finland, Bodziszek korzeniasty in Poland, Rock Crane's-bill in UK) |
Geranium macrorrhizum |
June-July |
A rhizomatous perennial herb, much grown in gardens and occasionally occurring as an escape or throw-out in hedge banks, open woodland and on roadsides, usually not far from habitation. Lowland. Native of South-East France, Italy, Austria and the Balkans. |
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Flower in May |
Flowers in May |
Foliage in May |
Form |
Knotted Cranesbill |
Geranium nodosum |
May-August |
A shortly rhizomatous perennial herb occurring as a garden escape or throw-out in wood-borders, hedgerows, churchyards and in rough grassland on railway banks and roadsides, usually close to habitation. Lowland. Intoduced. Native to the mountains of Southern Europe from the Southern Alps to the Pyrenees, Central Apennines and Serbia. |
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Flower in June |
Flowers |
Foliage in June |
Form in June |
Long-stalked Cranesbill |
Geranium columbinum |
May-August |
An annual of dry grasslands and grassland-scrub mosaics. Its habitats include sand dunes, scrubby cliff slopes, hedge banks, field margins, chalk and limestone downland, railway banks and old quarries. It is usually on calcareous soils, and is often a pioneer on disturbed sites. It favours warm, sheltered, often S.-facing banks and hollows. Lowland. |
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Flower from Yorkshire |
Flowers |
Foliage in July |
Form in July |
Little Robin |
Geranium purpureum |
April onwards |
It is an upright annual in stony or rocky places near the sea, on sheltered cliffs, disused railway lines, and particularly by roads and fields on the earth-and-stone sides of Cornish hedge banks. Subsp. forsteri is a prostrate plant of stabilised areas at the top of shingle beaches. Lowland. |
Meadow Cranesbill |
Geranium pratense |
A perennial herb of rough grassland on verges, railway banks and streamsides, and in damp hay meadows and lightly grazed pastures, mainly on calcareous soils. Generally lowland, reaching 375 m at Alston (Cumberland), but exceptionally at 845 m on Great Dun Fell (Westmorland). |
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Flower from Buckinghamshire. Photo by BritishFlora |
Flowers from Buckinghamshire. Photo by BritishFlora |
Foliage from Buckinghamshire. Photo by BritishFlora |
Form from Buckinghamshire. Photo by BritishFlora |
Pencilled Cranesbill |
Geranium versicolor |
May-July |
This rhizomatous perennial herb is a frequent garden escape or throw-out, occurring in grassy places on roadsides and railway banks, in hedge banks and wood-borders, usually close to habitation and showing a strong preference for warm, sheltered, often somewhat shaded situations. Lowland. |
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Flower in July |
Flower in July |
Foliage in July |
Form in July |
Pyrenean Cranesbill |
Geranium pyrenaicum |
May onwards |
A perennial herb of hedgerows, roadsides, field margins, rough grassy banks and waste places; often found growing close to habitation, and possibly sometimes occurring as a garden escape or throw-out. Lowland. |
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Flower from Stood in Kent in June |
Flowers from Cuxton in Kent in August |
Foliage from Ashburton in Devon |
Form from Ashburton in Devon in May |
Round-leaved Cranesbill |
Geranium rotundifolium |
June-August |
An annual of hedgerows, dry roadside-banks and wall-tops, especially close to the sea, but spreading to roadside verges, rubble heaps, railway ballast and waste ground. It is also a garden and street weed. Colonies may be very persistent, even where the species is confined to weedy habitats. Lowland. |
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Flower from Strood in Kent in June |
Flowers |
Foliage from Strood in June |
Form from Strood in June |
Shining Cranesbill |
Geranium lucidum |
An annual of roadside-banks, rock outcrops and scree, preferring calcareous soils and characteristic of limestone districts. It is widespread in artificial habitats, including mortared walls, churchyards, roadsides, waste ground and railway ballast; also as an escape from gardens. Generally lowland, but reaching 610 m at Melmerby High Scar (Cumberland). |
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Flower from Monks Dale on 21 May |
Foliage from Monks Dale on 21 May |
Foliage from Lough Aleenaun Clare on 13 June |
Form from Deep Dale in Derbyshire on 26 May |
Small-Flowered Cranesbill (sparvnäva in Sweden, kleine ooievaarsbek in Dutch, Small Geranium in USA) |
Geranium pusillum |
May onwards |
An annual of cultivated land, open summer-droughted grasslands, roadsides and waste places, thriving in well-drained, sandy soils. Lowland. |
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Flower from North Yorkshire in June |
Flowers in June |
Foliage from North Yorkshire in June |
Form from Norfolk in September |
Wood Cranesbill |
Geranium sylvaticum |
June-July |
A stoutly rhizomatous perennial herb of hay meadows, ungrazed damp woodlands, streamsides and mountain rock ledges, and in many areas a characteristic feature of laneside hedge banks and verges. Mainly upland, to 1005 m on Ben Lawers (Mid Perth). |
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Flower in June |
Flower from Liechenstein on 17 May |
Foliage in June |
Form from Vaduz in Liechenstein on 19 May |
STORKSBILLS |
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Common Storksbill |
Erodium cicutarium |
Annuals of well-drained sandy and rocky places, sand dunes, summer-parched grasslands and heaths; they are also found on roadsides, stone walls and railway ballast, and are common wool aliens. Generally lowland, but reaching 420 m on Kirkstone Pass (Westmorland). |
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Flower from Oxwich Burrows on 11 July |
Flowers from Norfolk in June |
Foliage from Kenfig Burrows on 9 July |
Form from Chesil Beach in June |
Musk Storksbill |
Erodium moschatum |
May onwards |
An annual of barish places near the sea, in disturbed sand dunes, on roadsides, wall-tops, field margins and waste ground. In the Isles of Scilly it is a frequent bulb-field weed. It is recorded inland as a casual, sometimes introduced with wool shoddy. Lowland. |
Sea Storksbill |
Erodium maritimum |
An annual of trampled or closely-grazed cliff-top grasslands, disturbed sand dunes and gull-infested sea-cliffs, and around coastal settlements on walls and pavements. Inland, it has been recorded from limestone grassland (Somerset), in heathland areas by sandy tracks and gravel workings and, rarely, as an introduction on railway ballast. Lowland. |
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Common Blue Butterfly on Pyrenean Cranesbill from Ashburton in Devon in May |
Dear Mr. Cameron, Please find below a suggestion for fixing England 's economy. Instead of giving billions of pounds to banks that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan:-
You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:
It can't get any easier than that! P.S. If more money is needed, have all members of parliament pay back their falsely claimed expenses and second home allowances Also……….. Let's put the pensioners in jail and the criminals in a nursing home. This way the pensioners would have access to showers, hobbies and walks. They'd receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment, wheel chairs etc and they'd receive money instead of paying it out. They would have constant video monitoring, so they could be helped instantly, if they fell, or needed assistance. Bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them. A guard would check on them every 20 minutes and bring their meals and snacks to their cell. They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose. They would have access to a library, weight room, spiritual counselling, pool and education. Simple clothing, shoes, slippers, PJ's and legal aid would be free, on request. Private, secure rooms for all, with an exercise outdoor yard, with gardens. Each senior could have a PC a TV radio and daily phone calls. There would be a board of directors to hear complaints, and the guards would have a code of conduct that would be strictly adhered to. The criminals would get cold food, be left all alone and unsupervised. Lights off at 8pm, and showers once a week. Live in a tiny room and pay £600.00 per week and have no hope of ever getting out. Think about this (more points of contention): ----------------------------------------------------------- COWS Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Appleby almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the county of Cumbria? And, they even tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 125,000 illegal immigrants wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow. ------------------------------------------------------------ THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq ... Why don't we just give them ours? It was drawn up by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for centuries and we're not using it anymore. ----------------------------------------------------------- THE 10 COMMANDMENTS The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse or Parliament, is this - You cannot post
in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians..... It creates a hostile work environment. |
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How to grow Geraniums and their landscape uses. |
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GENTIAN TO GOOSEFOOT WILD FLOWER GALLERY |
GBIF makes available data that are shared by hundreds of data publishers from around the world. These data are shared according to the GBIF Data Use Agreement, which includes the provision that users of any data accessed through or retrieved via the GBIF Portal will always give credit to the original data publishers. What is the Global Biodiversity Information Facility? GBIF enables free and open access to biodiversity data online. We’re an international government-initiated and funded initiative focused on making biodiversity data available to all and anyone, for scientific research, conservation and sustainable development. GBIF provides three core services and products:
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WILD FLOWER GALLERY INDEX LINK TO WILDFLOWER PLANT DESCRIPTION PAGE Wildflower Garden Use page from Evergreen Perrennial Shape Gallery. FLOWER COLOUR SEED COLOUR BED PICTURES HABITAT TABLES See Explanation of Structure of this Website with User Guidelines to aid your use of this website. |
WILD FLOWER FAMILY
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WILD FLOWER FAMILY
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WILD FLOWER FAMILY
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WILD FLOWER FAMILY
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Wild About Britain is home to hundreds of thousands of pages about British wildlife, the Environment and the Great Outdoors; from birds, butterflies, fungi and trees to climate change, marine life, astronomy and the weather. We're also a huge online community with 35,000 members and more than 3 million unique visitors a year.
World Atlas of Seagrasses by Edmund P. Green and Frederick T. Short - "a group of about sixty species of underwater marine flowering plants, grow in the shallow marine and estuary environments of all the world's continents except Antarctica. The primary food of animals such as manatees, dugongs, and green sea turtles, and critical habitat for thousands of other animal and plant species, seagrasses are also considered one of the most important shallow-marine ecosystems for humans, since they play an important role in fishery production. Though they are highly valuable ecologically and economically, many seagrass habitats around the world have been completely destroyed or are now in rapid decline. The World Atlas of Seagrasses is the first authoritative and comprehensive global synthesis of the distribution and status of this critical marine habitat. "
Over 300 accounts of the Flora of the British Isles have been published in
Bookreview of A.R. Clapham, T.G. Tutin et E.F. Warburg Flora of the British Isles. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press.
Ferns in Britain and Ireland - A guide to ferns, horsetails, clubmosses
Selected References from KingdomPlantae.net National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Niering and Olmstead Peterson Field Guides Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants, Steven Foster and James A. Duke Peterson Field Guides Edible Wild Plants, Lee Allen Peterson Stalking the Healthful Herbs, Euell Gibbons Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants, Steve Brill The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America, Francois Couplan, Ph.D. Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants, Tom Brown, Jr. A Modern Herbal, Volume II, Mrs. M. Grieve Weeds, Alexander C Martin
Database of Insects and their Food Plants from the Biological Records Centre:- This database is primarily a collation of published interactions between Great Britain 's invertebrate herbivores (insects and mites) and their host plants. There are also some interactions for the invertebrates closely associated with herbivores, such as predators, parasitoids, cleptoparasites and mutualists. DBIF contains about 47,000 interactions for roughly 9,300 invertebrate taxa (species, sub-species and forms) and 5,700 plant taxa (species, genera and broader groupings).
Helping Earth's Sustainable Management with a Plant IT'S SO PRODUCTIVE! In fact, Henry Ford's first car ran on hemp-methanol! - and at just a fraction of the cost of petroleum alternatives. Alternatives to coal, fuel oil, acetone, ethyl, tar pitch and creosote can be derived - from this one single plant! |
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Superceeded Wildflower Indices After clicking on the WILD FLOWER Common Name INDEX link to Wildflower Family Page; |
The process below provides a uniform method for
The following Extra Index of Wildflowers is created in the Borage Wildflower Gallery, to which the Wildflowers found in the above list will have that row entry copied to.
Having transferred the Extra Index row entry to the relevant Extra Index row for the same type of plant in a gallery below; then
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The English Flower Garden Design, Arrangement, and Plans |
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KPR - Gardeners Club Slovakia:- "KPR was officially established in 2000 in Slovakia in Europe; however, we supply seeds and plants from all over the world since 1998. Our main object is focused on joining gardeners around the world from all fields of interests to create a big database of seeds and plants (Seeds and Plants Bank of KPR) from around the world. At present, we have 6 main branches (Slovakia, Czechia, Australia, India, Thailand, South Africa and Tanzania) and over 200 co-operators and seeds collectors all over the world. Nowadays we are able to collect and supply over 10 000 species of plants from all over the world. If you are looking for anything, you are at the right place! Although we do not have every plant in our collection yet, but we are expanding daily, step-by-step, seed-by-seed, plant by plant. We believe that soon we will be able to supply (almost) anything! For sale over 10 000 seeds and plants from all over the world - palms, cycads, exotic and frost tolerant shrubs and trees, succulents, carnivorous, annuals, perennials, ornamental grasses, vegetable, etc." "At present, we can collect seeds and plants on request (as well as parts of plants - for example bulbs, cuttings, meristematic tissues, pollen, etc.) from more than 4000 species of plants from 19 European countries. Now we collect in the following countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Spain, Finland, Great Britain, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia. We prepare to collect in the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Estonia, France, Switzerland, Italy, Kosovo, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine. We are able to collect all species in this area on your request. However, we do not collect protected species and species from the orchids (Orchidaceae). Since 2002, we supply a wide range of European plants annually to both domestic and foreign small gardeners as well as big gardeners' societies, pharmaceutical companies and for scientific research. The Vegetation season in Europe is from March to October. Seeds are usually harvested from August to September, and some species earlier. We provide a guarantee of 2 years for germination seeds. Seeds of some species are available throughout the year, but most of the species are collected on request. If you are searching for anything from Europe, you are at the right place! Contact us and inform yourself about stock availability, prices and terms of supplying. We are able to supply all plant parts as well - seeds, bulbs, cuttings, meristematic issues, pollen etc. We also grow many species in cultivation and supply these as seedlings or young plants for wholesale. If you require seedlings, your order should be placed before April, seeing that the seeds are sown in April."
Colin's virtual Herbarium - "I am Colin Ladyka, and I live in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Native plants are my hobby.
Toxicity of Common Comfrey :-
The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland – Founded in 1836 as the Botanical Society of London and welcomes both professional and amateur botanists. The society focuses on the study of botany in the British Isles. The British Bryological Society – For the study and conservation of mosses and liverworts worldwide. The British Lichen Society – The first society in the world entirely devoted to the study of lichens. The Natural History Society of Northumbria – Everything you might want to know about NHSN including details of their field meetings, lectures, and nature reserve. Common by Nature – James Common regularly writes about his botanical finds across Newcastle and Northumberland on his personal blog. Help Identifying Plants Online BSBI Plant Crib – Sections from BSBI’s ground-breaking publication make the identification of complex plant families much easier. NatureSpot – Perfect for beginners, this online resource hosts species accounts for many plants also found in the North East. Arable Plant Crib – A series of helpful crib sheets for the UK’s arable plants from the Colour in the Margins project (now ceased). Common’s Cribs – A new series of beginner-friendly crib sheets exploring the identification of various plant families and group. |
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Handbook of alien species in Europe
Herbaria@home, a ground-breaking new approach to digitising and documenting the archives of the UK's herbaria. This site provides a web-based method for documenting herbarium sheets. We welcome participation in the project, so please read more about the project and if you would like to help then get involved!
Ukwildflowers has lists of English Common Names with their Latin botanical name.
APHOTOFLORA
Since 1972 I (Leif Stridvall) have almost exclusively been working with Nikon 35 mm system cameras as photographic equipment. They have proved to be very reliable and have never let me down. I started with Nikkormat, later exchanging it for Nikon FA (had matrix metering) and ended up with Nikon 801 (had autofocus) adding Nikon F70 as a reserve camera. In 2001 I began shooting digitally, first with Nikon Coolpix 990 and a couple of years later Minolta Dimage 7Hi, both excellent cameras for close-up photography. However when Nikon last year released its digital system camera D70 at a very affordable price, giving me opportunity to use all my old lenses with their new camera model, I gave up 35 mm photography for good. Since many years I use as macro lens the very sharp Nikon 60/2,8 AF (many old photos are taken with Mikro-Nikkor 3,5/55, also an excellent lens for macro work but only with manual focusing). All my 35 mm photos are taken with slide film, before 1972 Agfacolor, from 1972 till 1991 Kodachrome 25 (very few with Kodachrome 64) and from 1992 onwards with my favourite film, Fuji Velvia, very sharp and contrasty. Slides have been scanned by a HP PhotoSmart S20 Photo Scanner at a fairly moderate resolution of 1200 dpi. Most photos have been slightly edited either in Ulead PhotoImpact or in Adobe Photoshop. Photos with filenames starting with 4 letters are shot with a digital camera (AAAAxxxx or BBBBxxxx indicate Nikon CoolPix 990, MINAxxx Minolta Dimage 7Hi and NIKAxxxx Nikon D70).
The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation grew out of the Convention on Biological Diversity and is being fed into government policy around the world. |
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Biopix is a collection of biological photos, primarily from Scandinavia. Biopix is used online by a wide range of students, teachers, researchers, photographers etc. The photos are used professionally in a large range of publications; the sale helps to cover the expenses.
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The New Zealand Electronic Text Centre has under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand Licence produced the following information from Chapter IX - Ferns for the Open Garden from The Cultivation of New Zealand Plants by L.Cockayne published by Whitcombe and Tombs Limited, 1923, Auckland:- Class 1.—Ferns requiring no shade in dry districts. Class 2.—Ferns requiring only the minimum amount of shade. Class 3.—Ferns requiring a moderate amount of shade. Class 4.—Ferns requiring a considerable amount of shade.
GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora:- What is GrassBase?
A Vegetative Key to Grasses by Ellen McDouall from the Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre. |
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How www.discoverlife.org Works About Everyone can benefit in some way from a partnership with Discover Life. With our powerful integrated web tools, you can:
We are dedicated to improving education about the natural world, and therefore make our tools available for everyone, for free. You keep copyrights of your photographs and other information, you control how much or how little information you provide. We work constantly to improve our technology to make it easier to use."
BackyardGardener.com:- This is no superficial overview. We have everything you need to learn, explore, and improve your gardening. We also provide every product imaginable to assist you in creating your beautiful home garden surroundings. Backyard Gardener has provided gardening information since 1996. We are a one stop informational site to help people understand their gardening needs. Backyard Gardener provides gardening plans and plant lists to enhance your gardening knowledge. We assist in providing the best gardening reference sites on the web with our own 'hands on' gardening information."
Monty Don. The Observer, Sunday 22 April 2001 "Weeds are the unwanted visitors which spoil our garden parties. But before you chuck them out, they can teach us a thing or two. There are other ways to deal with weeds:-
My weeds: Monty's list of garden horrors, most of which are detailed in this website - look by common name or botanical in the Cream and Brown Wild Flower Gallery Page menus above:-
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How www.discoverlife.org Works About Everyone can benefit in some way from a partnership with Discover Life. With our powerful integrated web tools, you can:
We are dedicated to improving education about the natural world, and therefore make our tools available for everyone, for free. You keep copyrights of your photographs and other information, you control how much or how little information you provide. We work constantly to improve our technology to make it easier to use."
What is The Threatened Plants Database |
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From Sarah Ravens Kitchen & Garden:- Wildflowers - Clay and rich loam soil mix There are two main things I want from my wildflower meadow –
That’s what you’ll get with this beautiful selection of my favourite easy and reliable perennial wild flowers. To cover an area of 3m2
Spring into Summer Flowering
Summer into Autumn Flowering
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From Sarah Ravens Kitchen & Garden:- Wildflowers - Chalk and sand, freely-drained soil mix A wonderfully varied self-sowing wild flower mix for thin, poor, chalky or sandy soils to give your garden or field flowers right through the year and food for the birds and bees. To cover an area of 3m2
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Site design and content copyright ©May 2008. DISCLAIMER: Links to external sites are provided as a courtesy to visitors. Ivydene Horticultural Services are not responsible for the content and/or quality of external web sites linked from this site. |
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It is coming from the people of Ecuador, led by their President Rafael Correa, and it would begin to deal with 2 converging crises. In the 4 billion years since life on earth began, there have been 5 times when there was a sudden mass extinction of life-forms. The last time was 65 million years ago, when the dinosaurs were killed, probably by a meteor. But now the world's scientists agree that the 6th mass extinction is at hand. Humans have accelerated the rate of species extinction by a factor of at least 100 and the Harvard biologist EO Wilson warns it could reach a factor of 10,000 within the next 20 years.. We are doing this largely by stripping species of their habitat. At the same time, we are dramatically warming the atmosphere. The joint-hottest year ever recorded was 2010, according to Nasa. The best scientific prediction is that we are now on course for a 3 feet rise in global sea levels this century. Goodbye London, Cairo, Bangkok, Venice and Shanghai. So where does Ecuador come in? At the tip of this South American country, there lies 4,000 square miles of rainforest where the Amazon basin, the Andes mountains and the equator come together. It is the most diverse place on earth. When scientists studied a single hectare of it, they found it had more different species of trees that the whole of North America put together. It holds the world records for different species of amphibeans, reptiles and bats. And - more importantly - this rainforest is a crucial part of the planets lungs, inhaling huge amounts of heat-trapping gases and keeping them out of the atmosphere. Yet almost all the pressure from the outside world today is to cut it down. Why? Because underneath that rainforest, there is almost a billion barrels of untapped oil, containing 400 million tons of planet-cooking gases. The oil beneath the rainforest is worth about 7 billion dollars. Ecuador's democratic government says that, if the rest of the world offers just half of what the oil is worth - 3.5 billion dollars - they will keep the rainforest standing and alive and working for us all. In a country where 38% live in poverty and 13% are on the brink of starvation, it's an incredibly generous offer and one that is popular in the rainforest itself. No country with oil has ever done anything like this before. Not a single one has ever considered leaving it in the ground because the consequences of digging it up are too disastrous. They first made this offer in 2006. Chile has offered $100,000. Spain has offered $1.4million. Germany initially offered $50million, then pulled out. Now Mr Carrea is warning they can't wait forever in a country where 13% are close to starving. If they do not have $100million in the pot by the end of this year, he says, they will have no choice but to pursue Plan B - the digging and destruction of the rainforest." What the idiots in power in the world do not realise is that a 25 feet by 25 feet grass lawn will provide enough oxygen for a person per year. A car travelling 60 miles consumes the same volume of oxygen as a mature beech tree produces in a year. Every person in the UK travels by car, bus or public transport and they therefore consume more oxygen per year than the property they own or the country they live in can create. We get our oxygen from outside the United Kingdom. We owe over 900 billion pounds and now we are lending more than 3.5 billion dollars to Greece, Ireland and Portugal. We are spending £800,000 on dropping 1 missile on Libya and last month we were involved in 3 wars costing more that £3.5 billion a year. UNFORTUNATELY THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT INTERESTED IN THE FACT THAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BREATHE FAIRLY SOON. Since no government will do it, perhaps you as the individual reading this could send £1 a month by standing order to the Ecuador Embassy in your country, so that President Carrea can carry out Plan A rather than Plan B. |
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UKButterflies Larval Foodplants website page lists the larval foodplants used by British butterflies. The name of each foodplant links to a Google search. An indication of whether the foodplant is a primary or secondary food source is also given. Please note that the Butterfly you see for only a short time has grown up on plants as an egg, caterpillar and chrysalis for up to 11 months, before becoming a butterfly. If the plants that they live on during that time are removed, or sprayed with herbicide, then you will not see the butterfly. |
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Plants used by the Butterflies follow the Plants used by the Egg, Caterpillar and Chrysalis as stated in |
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Plant Name |
Butterfly Name |
Egg/ Caterpillar/ Chrysalis/ Butterfly |
Plant Usage |
Plant Usage Months |
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Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
10 days in May-June |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
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Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
- |
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Egg, |
1 egg at base of plant. |
Late August-April |
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Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
- |
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Egg, |
1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts. |
7 days in June. |
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Egg, |
1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts. |
7 days in June. |
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Egg, |
1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower. |
7 days in August. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
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Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
10 days in May-June. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
2 weeks |
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Cabbages - Large White eats all cruciferous plants, such as cabbages, mustard, turnips, radishes, cresses, nasturtiums, wild mignonette and dyer's weed |
Egg,
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40-100 eggs on both surfaces of leaf. |
May-June and August-Early September. 4.5-17 days. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on underside of leaf. |
May-June and August. 7 days. |
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Cabbages:- |
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of leaf. |
July or August; hatches in 3 days. |
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Cabbages:- |
Egg, |
1 egg laid in the tight buds and flowers. |
May-June 7 days. |
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Cherry with |
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
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Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
- |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
10 days in May-June. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
6 days in May-June. |
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Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
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(Common CowWheat, Field CowWheat) |
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 16 days in June. |
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Currants |
Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 20 days in July. |
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Dog Violet with |
Egg, |
1 egg on oak or pine tree trunk |
15 days in July. |
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Dog Violet with |
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf or stem. |
Hatches after 15 days in May-June. |
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Dog Violet with |
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf or stem. |
Hatches after 10 days in May-June. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
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False Brome is a grass (Wood Brome, Wood False-brome and Slender False-brome) |
Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
... |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 20 days in July. |
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Egg, |
1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts. |
7 days in June. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf or stem. |
Hatches after 10 days in May-June. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
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Egg, |
1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower. |
7 days in August. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. 5 or 6 eggs may be deposited by separate females on one leaf. |
14 days in July-August. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
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Egg, |
1 egg laid in the tight buds and flowers. |
May-June 7 days. |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 20 days in July. |
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Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
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Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
1 then |
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Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
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Egg, |
1 egg at base of plant. |
Late August-April. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
10 days in May-June. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
2 weeks |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
6 days in May-June. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on underside of leaf. |
May-June and August. 7 days. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. 5 or 6 eggs may be deposited by separate females on one leaf. |
14 days in July-August. |
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Narrow-leaved Plantain (Ribwort Plantain) |
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 16 days in June. |
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Narrow-leaved Plantain (Ribwort Plantain) |
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 16 days in June. |
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Nasturtium from Gardens |
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of leaf. |
May-June and August. 7 days. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on tree trunk |
15 days in July. |
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Mountain pansy, |
Egg, Chrysalis |
1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower. |
7 days in August. 3 weeks in September |
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Egg, |
1 egg on tree trunk. |
15 days in July. |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 20 days in July. |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
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Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
- |
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Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
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Egg, |
1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower. |
7 days in August. |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 16 days in June. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
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Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
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Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
2 weeks |
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Trefoils 1, 2, 3 |
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
6 days in May-June. |
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Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
- |
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Egg, |
1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts. |
7 days in June. |
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Violets:- |
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of leaf or on stalk. |
July-August for 17 days. |
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Violets:- |
Egg, |
1 egg on stem or stalk near plant base. |
July to hatch in 8 months in March. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
2 weeks. |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. 5 or 6 eggs may be deposited by separate females on one leaf. |
14 days in July-August. |
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Willow |
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 20 days in July. |
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Plants used by the Butterflies |
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Plant Name |
Butterfly Name |
Egg/ Caterpillar/ Chrysalis/ Butterfly |
Plant Usage |
Plant Usage Months |
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Asters |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
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Runner and Broad Beans in fields and gardens |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-June or July-September. |
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Aubretia in gardens |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November |
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Butterfly |
Eats sap exuding from trunk. |
April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
20 days. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June |
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Holly Blue |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October. |
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Buddleias |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October. |
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Wood White |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June. |
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Cabbage and cabbages in fields |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-June or July-September. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
July-October |
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Adonis Blue |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September |
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Pale Clouded Yellow |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November |
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Cow-wheat |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June-July |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
3 weeks between May and September |
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Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys - Birdseye Speedwell) |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June-July |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
30 days in May-June. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-September |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
May-June for 18 days. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
1 Month. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October. |
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Painted Lady |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
July-October. |
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Marigolds in gardens |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September. |
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Michaelmas Daisies |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-June or July-September. |
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Narrow-leaved Plantain (Ribwort Plantain) |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June-July |
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Nasturtiums in gardens |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-June or July-September |
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Butterfly |
Eats sap exuding from trunk. |
April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
July-October. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
July-May |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
7 weeks in July-August. |
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Comma |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
3 weeks between May and September |
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Trefoils 1, 2, 3 |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
20 days in August. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June.
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June-July |
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Apple/Pear/Cherry/Plum Fruit Tree Blossom in Spring |
Butterfly |
Eats Nectar |
April-May |
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Rotten Fruit |
Butterfly |
Drinks juice |
July-September |
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Tree sap and damaged ripe fruit, which are high in sugar |
Butterfly |
Hibernates inside hollow trees or outhouses until March. Eats sap or fruit juice until April. |
10 months in June-April |
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Wild Flowers |
Large Skipper |
Butterfly |
Eats Nectar |
June-August |
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Links to the other Butterflies:- Black Hairstreak |
Topic - Wildlife on Plant Photo Gallery. Some UK native butterflies eat material from UK Native Wildflowers and live on them as eggs, caterpillars (Large Skipper eats False Brome grass - Brachypodium sylvaticum - for 11 months from July to May as a Caterpillar before becoming a Chrysalis within 3 weeks in May) chrysalis or butterflies ALL YEAR ROUND. |
Wild Flower Family Page (the families within "The Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers" by David McClintock & R.S.R. Fitter, Published in 1956 They are not in Common Name alphabetical order and neither are the common names of the plants detailed within each family. The information in the above book is back-referenced to the respective page in "Flora of the British Isles" by A.R. Clapham of University of Sheffield, |
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My Comments about the proposed Cobtree Manor Park is where I and my friend used to take her dog for a 2 hour walk every week. See Map Cobtree Manor Park and Cobtree Manor 18 hole Public Golf Course (1golf.eu picture shows the golf course with its fairways to the left of the point 2/3rds across the picture from the left, with 2 grassed areas dotted with trees behind a hedge of trees above that golf course - that area is where people walk their dogs) occupy 50 acres of parkland displaying a diverse and maturing collection of trees and shrubs. I would be surprised if Cobtree Manor Park grassed area occupied more than 6 of those 50 acres. The Park Ranger and Maidstone Borough Council have decided that every dog will be put on a lead at this public place with no method of allowing that dog any exercise unless the owners can run with the dog under their byelaws of 1998. Cobtree Manor Park
My Comments The proposed rerouting of the Bridle Path would also disturb the declining numbers of Great Crested Newts who use that pond. Since there have only been 2 visitors to this site who have emailed me in the last 2 years, the above comments may be a waste of time, since written comments on paper to the Cobtree Officer Brian Latimer or emailed to him at brianlatimer@maidstone.gov.uk must be in by Friday 16th April 2010 and not emailed to me.
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The following is an excerpt from my Comments about the proposed destruction of the wildlife habitats at Cobtree Manor Park in the summer of 2010 from the bottom part of my Mission Statement page "We would be sorry to lose the butterflies on the bluebells, bramble and ivy that would be restricted to only the very small area of proposed Wildlife Meadow by the Woods at the bottom of a hill with water springs on it. The wildlife is now being excluded from all the other areas by the "pruning", so that the nettles, brambles etc which had for instance the butterfly life cycle included; are now being ruthlessly removed to create a garden, not a park, with neat little areas." The life and death of a flailed cornish hedge was repeated at Cobtree Manor Park,
When you look at the life history graphs of each of the 68 butterflies of Britain, you will see that they use plants throughout all 12 months - the information of what plant is used by the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis or butterfly is also given in the above first column.
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THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A FLAILED CORNISH HEDGE - This details that life and death from July 1972 to 2019, with the following result:- End note, June 2008. I hear spring vetch has been officially recorded somewhere in West Cornwall and confirmed as a presence in the county, so perhaps I can be permitted to have seen it pre-1972 in the survey mile. I wonder where they found it? It's gone from hedges where it used to be, along with other scarcities and so-called scarcities that used to flourish in so many hedges unrecorded, before the flail arrived. I have given careful thought to including mention of some of the plants and butterflies. So little seems to be known of the species resident in Cornish hedges pre-flail that I realise some references may invite scepticism. I am a sceptic myself, so sympathise with the reaction; but I have concluded that, with a view to re-establishing vulnerable species, it needs to be known that they can with the right management safely and perpetually thrive in ordinary Cornish hedges. In future this knowledge could solve the increasingly difficult question of sufficient and suitable sites for sustainable wild flower and butterfly conservation - as long as it is a future in which the hedge-flail does not figure.
CHECK-LIST OF TYPES OF CORNISH HEDGE FLORA by Sarah Carter of Cornish Hedges Library:-
Titles of papers available on www.cornishhedges.co.uk:-
THE GUILD OF CORNISH HEDGERS is the non-profit-making organisation founded in 2002 to support the concern among traditional hedgers about poor standards of workmanship in Cornish hedging today. The Guild has raised public awareness of Cornwall's unique heritage of hedges and promoted free access to the Cornish Hedges Library, the only existing source of full and reliable written knowledge on Cornish hedges." |
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Ivydene Gardens Water Fern to Yew Wild Flower Families Gallery: |
Only Wildflowers detailed in the following Wildflower Colour Pages |
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Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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1 |
Blue |
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Cream |
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White A-D |
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1 Yellow |
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Flowering plants of |
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1 |
Flowering plants of |
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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora:-
Recommended Plants for Wildlife in different situations
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From the Ivydene Gardens Box to Crowberry Wild Flower Families Gallery: |
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The Bumblebee Pages website is divided into five major areas:
FORCED INDOOR BULBS in Window Box Gardens. Once these have flowered don't throw them out. Cut off the heads (unless you want seed) then put them somewhere that the leaves can get the sun. This will feed the bulb for the next year. Once the leaves have died you can plant the bulbs outside and they will flower at the normal (unforced) time next year. The narcissus Tete-a-tete is particularly good, and provides early colour and a delicate fragrance too. Below I have listed groups of plants. I have tried to include at least four plants in each list as you may not be able to find all of them, although, unless you have a very large windowbox, I would recommend that you have just three in each box. |
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Theme |
Plants |
Comments |
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Thyme |
Thymus praecox, wild thyme Thymus pulegioides Thymus leucotrichus Thymus citriodorus |
Thymes make a very fragrant, easy to care for windowbox, and an excellent choice for windy sites. The flower colour will be pinky/purple, and you can eat the leaves if your air is not too polluted. Try to get one variegated thyme to add a little colour when there are no flowers. |
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Herb |
Sage, mint, chives, thyme, rosemary |
Get the plants from the herb section of the supermarket, so you can eat the leaves. Do not include basil as it need greater fertility than the others. Pot the rosemary up separately if it grows too large. |
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Mints |
Mentha longifolia, horse mint Mentha spicata, spear mint Mentha pulgium, pennyroyal Mentha piperita, peppermint Mentha suaveolens, apple mint |
Mints are fairly fast growers, so you could start this box with seed. They are thugs, though, and will very soon be fighting for space. So you will either have to thin and cut back or else you will end up with one species - the strongest. The very best mint tea I ever had was in Marrakesh. A glass full of fresh mint was placed in front of me, and boiling water was poured into it. Then I was given a cube of sugar to hold between my teeth while I sipped the tea. Plant this box and you can have mint tea for months. |
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Heather |
Too many to list See Heather Shrub gallery |
For year-round colour try to plant varieties that flower at different times of year. Heather requires acid soils, so fertilise with an ericaceous fertilser, and plant in ericaceous compost. Cut back after flowering and remove the cuttings. It is best to buy plants as heather is slow growing. |
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Blue |
Ajuga reptans, bugle Endymion non-scriptus, bluebell Myosotis spp., forget-me-not Pentaglottis sempervirens, alkanet |
This will give you flowers from March till July. The bluebells should be bought as bulbs, as seed will take a few years to flower. The others can be started from seed. |
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Yellow |
Anthyllis vulneraria, kidney vetch Geum urbanum, wood avens Lathryus pratensis, meadow vetchling Linaria vulgaris, toadflax Lotus corniculatus, birdsfoot trefoil Primula vulgaris, primrose Ranunculus acris, meadow buttercup Ranunculus ficaria, lesser celandine |
These will give you flowers from May to October, and if you include the primrose, from February. Try to include a vetch as they can climb or trail so occupy the space that other plants can't. All can be grown from seed. |
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White |
Trifolium repens, white clover Bellis perennis, daisy Digitalis purpurea alba, white foxglove Alyssum maritimum Redsea odorata, mignonette |
All can be grown from seed. The clover and daisy will have to be cut back as they will take over. The clover roots add nitrogen to the soil. The mignonette flower doesn't look very special, but the fragrance is wonderful, and the alyssum smells of honey. |
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Pink |
Lychnis flos-cucli, ragged robin Scabiosa columbaria, small scabious Symphytum officinale, comfrey |
The comfrey will try to take over. Its leaves make an excellent fertiliser, and are very good on the compost heap, though windowbox gardeners rarely have one. |
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Fragrant |
Lonicera spp., honeysuckle Alyssum maritimum Redsea odorata, mignonette Lathyrus odoratus, sweet pea |
The sweet pea will need twine or something to climb up, so is suitable if you have sliding windows or window that open inwards. You will be rewarded by a fragrant curtain every time you open your window. |
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Spring bulbs and late wildflowers |
Galanthus nivalis, snowdrop Narcissus pseudonarcissus, narcissius Crocus purpureus, crocus Cyclamen spp. |
The idea of this box is to maximize your space. The bulbs (cyclamen has a corm) will flower and do their stuff early in the year. After flowering cut the heads off as you don't want them making seed, but leave the leaves as they fatten up the bulbs to store energy for next year. The foliage of the wildflowers will hide the bulb leaves to some extent. Then the wildflowers take over and flower till autumn |
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Aster spp., Michaelmas daisy Linaria vulgaris, toadflax Lonicera spp., honeysuckle Succisa pratensis, devil's bit scabious Mentha pulgium, pennyroyal |
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Bee Garden in Europe or North America |
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Wildlife-friendly Show Gardens With around 23 million gardens in the UK, covering 435,000 ha, gardens have great potential as wildlife habitats. And, with a bit of planning and a few tweaks, they can indeed be wonderful places for a whole host of creatures, from birds to bees, butterflies, frogs and toads, as well as many less obvious creatures. Wildlife-friendly gardens can be beautiful too, and a colourful garden full of life can lift the spirits and give immense pleasure, and can also help to connect people, both young and old, with our wonderful wildlife. The eight-point plan for a wildlife-friendly garden
Many of our gardens at Natural Surroundings demonstrate what you can do at home to encourage wildlife in your garden. Follow the links below to explore our show gardens, and when you visit, be sure to pick up a copy of our Wildlife Gardening Trail guide
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From the Ode to the London Plane Tree by Heather Greaves:- "They are also very important to the city of New York (and not just because the leaf is the Parks Department logo). The London plane, usually considered Platanus x acerifolia but also known by other Latin epithets, is not really native, although it very closely resembles the native American sycamore, Platanus occidentalis. Actually, it is probably a cross between this American species and Platanus orientalis, a Eurasian relative. In any case, it has been widely planted as a city tree for decades, which turns out to be a good idea. In its assessment of the New York City urban forest, the US Forest Service Northern Research Station determined that the London plane is the most important city tree we have. They base this conclusion on several factors. For one thing, London planes have a very high leaf area per tree; that is, the London plane gives us a lot more pretty, shady, air-filtering, evaporatively-cooling leaves per single trunk than most other species in the city. In fact, according to the Forest Service, London planes make up just 4% of the city tree population, but represent 14% of the city's total leaf area. (Compare this with the virulently invasive tree of heaven [Ailanthus altissima], which constitutes 9% of the tree population but only about 4% of the total leaf area.) Also, because they tend to become very tall and have large canopies, London planes are our best trees for carbon storage and sequestration. They are holding on to about 185,000 tons of carbon (14% of the total urban tree carbon pool), and each year they sequester another 5,500 or so tons (about 13% of all the carbon sequestered by city trees each year). That makes them both gorgeous and highly beneficial: all in all, good trees to have around." |
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", in the Vermont hills, is a biodynamic farm using organic practices. Natural minerals and planned grazing with American Milking Devon cattle rejuvenate the soil, sequester carbon and yield nutrient dense foods and medicines including milk, grass fed meats, eggs, fermented vegetables (sauerkraut and kimchi / kim-chi), and herbal tinctures. We offer educational opportunities, farm visits, and seminars on nutrition, growing and preparing nutrient dense food, diversified farming and fermentation. |
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Edible Plants Club website "has been created largely from the point of view of a plantsman interested in the many different resources available in the plant world, especially edible and medicinal plants. What started me off on this path was reading Robert Harts book Forest Gardening and then Ken Fearns Plants for a Future and also Richard Mabeys 'Food For Free' along the way. This also led to me to change my career and become a gardener."
'Sort out your soil' - A practical guide to Green Manures, and Frequently Asked Questions from the Receptionist Myrtle of Cotswold Grass Seeds.
Saltmarsh Management Manual from the Environment Agency informs you about:-
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Suppliers of British native-origin seeds and plants:- "Flora locale maintains a list of suppliers who should be able to supply seeds and/or plants of known British (and sometimes known local) native-origin. Although not all their stock will necessarily be of British native-origin, they should be able to provide details of provenance on request. View Flora locale's list of suppliers - follow the "Suppliers of native flora" link. You may also wish to view the Really Wild Flowers site, which contains a wealth of information about creating habitats and cultivating native species." |
British Native Plants List of Edible Plants:- "I thought it would be useful to include native plant lists from different regions of the world. This list is from British Isles (including Ireland and the Channel Islands) and was compiled by Professor Clive Stace of the University of Leicester for the FFF conference on Native Plants held at the Linnean Society of London, June 1997. It can be found here at the postcode plants database." |
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Plants for moths (including larval food plants and adult nectar sources) from Gardens for Wildlife - Practical advice on how to attract wildlife to your garden by Martin Walters as an Aura Garden Guide. Published in 2007 - ISBN 978 1905765041:- |
Marjoram - Origanum officinale |
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"In mid summer, our gardens awash with colourful seas of showy blooms, may appear to be a haven for bees. Over the last few decades there has been a garden centre boom in cheap and cheerful bedding plants or cultivars which produce ever more stunning flowers. The trouble is that many of them are of little or no use to honey-bees or bumblebees. Double blooms and many cultivars contain neither pollen nor nectar. Their sole purpose seems to be for us, for that glance across a splash of colour whilst we sip a cool summer drink. Outside our cities and gardens the situation is not much better; there has been a staggering decline in flower-rich hay meadows, wild spaces and wildflower leys. About 97% of our original flower-rich habitats have been lost in the past 60 years. And with these, fast disappearing from our landscapes, are flowering plants which have evolved over millennia alongside bees and in perfect symbiosis with them. These provide bees with the absolute ideal in terms of pollen, nectar and propolis, with different species flowering in succession throughout the year. Add to this, bees have their fair share of parasites and diseases; and for a final blow, a new generation of insecticides originally developed in the 1990’s to protect fruit trees from aphid attack are, ironically, apparently harming bees. There is science-based evidence coming out of France which proves that many pesticides, in sub-lethal doses, are harmful to bees. Bees urgently need our help! Luckily there is much we can do: Think of bees when you garden. This is so easy because many of bees’ favourite plants are also culinary or medicinal herbs, wildflowers or fruits of every kind. Most of them are unadulterated species plants. These don’t just look good, they do us and the bees good too. We can provide many of these kinds of herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees. The bees’ favourites are our priority Checklist for Plants for Bees There are a just a few keys points to remember when choosing plants for bees: • Approved by bees - Anecdotal evidence has been collected from all over the world, from many people, beekeepers, entomologists, wildlife enthusiasts and gardeners who have observed bees' foraging preferences. We are also planning scientific field studies for 2012 to confirm which garden plants do prove the most popular with our bees. • 100% safe for bees - Plants that are grown without the use of pesticides (especially neonicotinoids such as 'Clothianidin', 'Imidacloprid', 'Thiacloprid' or 'Acetamiprid') or other chemicals that may harm bees. Organic (or Biodynamic) plants are 100% safe for bees. • Species plants - You can't go wrong with natural, 'species' plants that have evolved with bees over millennia. Many artificially bred cultivers or clones, are sterile and often do not produce nectar (for example, the nectaries having been bred into extra petals). Though most fruit cultivars are fine. • Produces plenty of nectar or pollen - Some of the bees' favourite plants produce greater quantities of pollen or nectar than others - that is the kind of information we will try to include in our plant descriptions - especially after the scientific studies being carried out in our bee sancturay have concluded in 2012. • Flowers throughout the times of greatest need - There are certain times when pollen or nectar are needed: Early spring is a time of great need for pollen (which triggers egg-laying by the queen); All season from early spring to late Autumn nectar is needed, though there is a 'crisis period' from the end of June until September (in the South of the UK) when adult bees' numbers are at a peak and their need for nectar is vital. This summer period is one we should concentrate on providing copious amounts of nectar in our gardens." |
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