Until July 2017, documenting the seasons of coastal Dorset. I'm a complete amateur so don't trust I'm always right. If ever you see I'm wrong - whether with identifications or in anything else - do say! Meanwhile . . . I've now moved to Halifax in West Yorkshire. Click on the link below to collect the new URL. Don't forget to follow there!

Tuesday 21 April 2015

BACK TO BLOG - APRIL STREET PLANTS


Clump of tall dandelions by gas meter box.
People who leave dandelions to grow
outside their houses instead of weeding them away
are right to appreciate such beauty.
My laptop has come back from the menders with a new vocation.

While away it was sent back to factory settings so it's decided to dedicate its life now to incessant up-dating. Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow.

Still. It's pleasant to have a new keyboard; and for the mouse pad to work; and not to need to press the same buttons over and over before anything happens.

There are, of course, masses of things to catch up with so I'm only partly here. There are on-line bills to check, emails to send and a general gearing up. Over this non-computer period I've been doing different things and it's odd how odd it feels to be returning to normal. It's that funny kind of feeling at the end of the long summer break from school. It means you will be seeing your friends again - but affection for being on holiday lingers on.

The sun has come out to celebrate so I've been on a quick look around for plants growing in the streets.

Dandelions where playground and pavement meet
Where playgrounds meet pavements - that's a good place to look.

Dandelions come at the top of my list of favourites and, all of a sudden, there are loads of them.

White flowers and dark brown seedpods on Shepherd's Purse plant




Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) with its tiny white flowers and heart-shaped seed pods also comes pretty high on my street-plant list.

Purple leaves crossing dried earth and stone edge to pavement














Then there are the leaves of an up-and-growing Smooth Sow Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus) with a purple so astonishing it doesn't see quite 'right'. Such a colour would be a surprise in petals. But these are leaves! Leaves! (It will grow greener as it grows taller.)

Dry grass has flowered at foot of blue leg of slide


And then there is grass in its many states and varieties. I really do like the single plants which pop up through tarmac, grow beside bench legs and establish themselves between paving stones. This little lawn has already dried out and gone to seed.

Have you been noticing new plants in the streets near you?

If so, why  not post about them and put a link in the box below?

It will be good to see what you see too.

The box will be open till 7pm on the 25th April.

* * *
Apologies to everyone who's been waiting for me to reply to emails or for their trees to be added to the Tree-Following list. I'll be catching up gradually.)

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

So pleased you are back in full working order!
Your shepherd's purse picture is much prettier than mine...
All the best, and thanks again :)

Donna said...

That is one thing you don't see here, plants in the street, but I do have plants popping up in between the bricks of my sidewalk and patio. Dandelions will be up soon here.

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

Hello Pat at Squirrelbasket. There is no way I could count how many times I've tried to photograph Shepherd's Purse over the years and how many blurs have resulted. The seed pods seem to act like sails so it's always quivering. Other plants are more compliant about standing still.

Hello Donna. Why is that? One would have thought if plants can pop up between the bricks in your sidewalk and patio they would have found places along the pavements too. Are the local authorities a little over-keen on tidiness or 'weeding'?

Anonymous said...

It's good to see you posting again. I like dandelions so generally leave them alone on the plot. Flighty xx

Hollis said...

Glad to hear you are back with us! Not sure I'll make this gathering as I'm traveling ... but maybe I'll find something fun.

Nice photo of shepherd's purse :)

Anonymous said...

Oo good, L & L back as well as MiaMB.

Love the Shepherd's Purse pic. I've not been about much, not able to walk far enough to see things of interest and no where to park the car when I do see them...

Philip Strange said...

Dandelions are very cheerful to see but I have also noticed this year (because I looked for the first time) that they are very important providing food for early bees.

Angie said...

Nice to see you back :)
Street plants are things we do well here in Edinburgh, courtesy of our local council!
I've a wee row of lawn daisies growing in the kerbside opposite my gate and the dandelions!!!! 'nuff said!!

Hollis said...

Lucy, I had to do 2 posts! I collaborated to some extent on both and folks were excited about the projects :-) I hope I didn't mess anything up.

Anna said...

Glad to hear that your computer woes are a thing of the past Lucy. I pass a bank of grass dotted with daisies and dandelions on my way to the allotment. It has looked an absolute picture this week.