Several wild flowers are in bloom this month on Elvetham Heath LNR. The most noticeable is Common Centuary, the plant is compact in appearance and produces pretty pink flowers. These flowers are arranged in dense branches, each with a single, terminal bloom. It has a basal rosette of egg-shaped leaves, sometimes lying in pairs up the stem. It is typically found on dry, open ground, including Heathland.
Ox-eye Daisy is a plant most of us will be familiar with as it commonly grows on roadside verges. The name ‘ox-eye’ was given to Hera, the Queen of Olympian gods in Greek mythology. Early Christians dedicated this flower to Mary Magdalen which is how the name Maudlin Daisy originated and the name Dun Daisy arose from the flower being connected with the god of thunder. The stem is long (60-90cm), thin and hard with occasional branching along the stem. Each "flower" is actually composed of many hundreds of flowers or florets. The yellow centre, "disc florets" and the white edges are called "ray florets". The leaves are small with a rough toothed edge and those near the root are more round in shape with long stalks.
The Bee Orchid is back. The picture above is courtesy of Michelle Salter.This mysterious plant, which often turns up in an area in great number then disappears for several decades. Bee orchids have been recorded at Elvetham Heath on several occasionally over the last few years. The flower of this species is supposed to mimic a bee; a male bee will try to mate with the flower in doing so he inadvertently carries the pollen to another Bee Orchid flower. The species is self-fertile in Northern Europe and therefore is not reliant on bees for pollination.
Several other species are in flower, these include Heath Bedstraw, Selfheal, Common Ragwort, Honey Suckle, Scentless Mayweed and Bell Heather.
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