In June most trees have finished flowering but wild and garden flowers are abundant. These photos were all taken on June 2nd or 3rd 2020 after a spring period which was the driest and sunniest on record.
Common Poppy Papaver rhoeas. A native wild flower found on field edges and waste places through most of Britain. No nectar is secreted but insects are attracted by the copious pollen shed by the numerous anthers. Bees collect pollen by lying on their sides and draw the anthers between their legs to work pollen into their pollen baskets
Greater Knapweed Centaurea scabiosa. A member of the Daisy family, the flowers of the Greater Knapweed have central disc florets and sterile ray florets. Each disc floret first produces pollen, then becomes receptive to pollen and ultimately produces a seed.
Field Scabious is a wild flower native to Britain and found in dry grassy places. It flowers from June to October and is visited by bees and butterflies.
A Lupin hybrid in a garden. Lupinus is a genus of more than 200 species found in North and South America and the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the Pea Family. European lupin species were introduced to Britain in the 14th century but superseded as garden flowers by introductions from America from the 17th century onwards.
Red Hot Poker Kniphofia uvaria. This species, originally from South Africa, produces tall spikes of red flower buds that open to form orange/yellow tubular flowers. It was introduced to Britain by Francis Masson in the 1770s. He had been sent by Kew on a plant-hunting trip to South Africa.
The Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis is found throughout Britain on chalk grassland. It grows from a tuber and is in flower from June to August The flowers have a strong sweet smell. It is pollinated by moths and butterflies and has tiny flowers with long spurs which have no nectar, so the species is one of the ‘food-deceptive’ orchids.
The Dog Rose Rosa canina is a tall shrub, reaching 3m. Its petals are pink or white. It is the most common native wild rose, growing in woods, hedgerows and scrub in Britain, Europe, SW Asia and N Africa. It is pollinated by bees looking for pollen. It flowers in June and July. The beetle on the lower rose is a thick-legged flower beetle Oedemera nobilis.
Sainfoin Onobrychis viciifolia. Another member of the Pea family, it is a native wildflower common to lime-based soils. Sainfoin is French for ‘healthy hay’. It was originally fed to cattle by farmers to keep cattle healthy but now is usually found in field edges.