Wild Flowers of Britain & Europe,
by Wolfgang Lippert, Dieter Podlech,
translated and adapted by Martin Walters.
Collins Nature Guide, HarperCollins Publishers 1994
Wales, high summer, 2013. Hardly tautological as juxtapositions go, but with temperatures hovering near 30° Celsius (the mid-80s Fahrenheit, in old money) this may well be as good as it gets this year.
As usual, the varying combinations in spring of cold or mild and dry or wet weather produce a profusion or dearth of native flowers and their early or late blooming.
This year’s mix has been distinctive, and with the help of pocket guides like this we’ve been able to do a casual audit of what we can see in our excuse for an orchard and lonesome hay meadow.
Calmgrove 