Spring Gentian

 We were a bit further afield this week. We spent a day in Teesdale at the Cow Green reservoir. On the banks of the reservoir grow a number of unusual flowers. The rarest (not found in any other part of Britain) is the Spring Gentian.

I have seen this plant before in Alpine pastures and in the wonderful limestone pavements of the Burren in the West of Ireland, but this is the first time I have seen them Britain. The plant is pollinated by bees but ants are responsible for spreading the seeds.There were only a few gentian but there were hundreds of the little mountain pansies which do well in the same dry and chalky soil. 

Diary

There has been a sudden spurt of growth by the wild flowers this week. Our meadow is full of the white flowers of pignut, and the pinks of ragged robin. In our bog meadow today I disturbed a hen pheasant who tried to chase me away from her tiny striped chicks that were running about in the tall grass.

We have been hearing cuckoos this week. One day around the house and a few of them on my regular visits to Tarn Sike. A dead hedgehog on the road outside the house - sad to see.

The woodlands are full of blue bells (past their best now) and the white flowers of ransoms (wild garlic)