When is a weed…

…Not a weed?

Fumitory061013DM8322

First you have to define what a weed is – my mother always told me a weed was just a plant in the wrong place. So here’s a pretty little plant, with interesting pink flowers and delicate grey green foliage, considered by many a weed, but well worth a place in my herbaceous border. This is Common Fumitory, an arable weed that produces seeds enjoyed by Turtle doves. It thrives in the light soil in my new garden so I’ve let it stay, and it’s proved itself to be an attractive garden plant. It scrambles happily through the thick fleshy leaves of the Iceplant (Sedum), contrasting form and texture. It’s unusual dip dyed flowers look like sugar sprinkles in the early morning dew, so this little weed is welcome in my garden, and has me hoping that it might attract my favourite bird next spring.

Fumitory061013DM8396

Fumitory061013DM8332

(Click images to view larger…)

If you like what you see, please consider sharing![social_share/]
UK & Eire Natural History Bloggers

 

Current favourite books, click for more info:




Similar Posts

  • Exhibition News

    I am very excited to announce that I will be exhibiting my work in Santiago’s Art Café in Botesdale, Suffolk. It’s actually my first exhibition in many, many years, so I’m really looking forward to it. There’s something about seeing photos printed that is so refreshing in our increasingly digital world, and that was one…

  • Wigeon

    What a beautiful day it was on Sunday! Decided to head for Strumpshaw again, but things were a bit quiet, although I did see my first ever Brambling. Then we visited Strumpshaw’s ‘sister’ reserve – Buckenham Marshes, which at this time of year is home to thousands of Wigeon, as well as geese. Wigeon are…

  • Magic Macro

    Visited the Fen for the first time for quite a while yesterday, it’s looking incredible lush right now, and full of insect life despite the rain. The first find was this brightly coloured Common Blue Damselfly. There were quite a few of these around, this one is just finishing his aphid meal. Walking around the…

  • In the evening

    With the lovely long days at this time of year, I can spend a few hours out on the fen after work. The atmosphere in the evening is very different to sunrise, which is when I’m normally there. The reeds buzz and flicker with insects, damselflies and dragonflies, birds cruise through the warm sky and…

  • Blog catch up time

    I realise I’ve really neglected my blog recently, instead I’ve just been adding recent photos to my Facebook page, but I’ve been missing writing, so it’s time for a quick update. Since my last blog in late Summer I continued photographing the bees, and had the pleasure of photographing this beautiful Common Carder bee, a…

2 Comments

  1. I don’t think there is such a thing as a weed. Nature creates each thing for a purpose, it’s just us that doesn’t always understand what the purpose is. Who’s to say that in future years that people may say roses are weeds just because they’ve gone out of fashion.
    Anyway back to the main point. Pictures are great.

  2. Yes, a pretty little plant, I hope it self seeds in our turtle dove border and attracts the elusive birdie next year. I’m going to sow some common toad flax next spring – also ‘a weed’ but I like it, another pretty plant. Great pictures.

Leave a Reply