Winter flowers

 An early morning ground frost covering house and car roofs heralded the coming of winter and the long sleep of most of our flowering plants. But not all, as a walk up the bridleway to Ewelease Dairy revealed. Next year's Cow Parsley, already six inches high ( or 15.24cms. if you insist) above the ground layer of Ivy and Ground Ivy, as is also next year's crop of Nettles, one of nature's great food plants, the main or sole food plant for around seventy moths and butterflies. Though most of the Ivy is now covered in berries a few flowers remain to provide late food for insect like bees, wasps and hover flies.

Ivy is not the only plant to be still in late flower on the roadside bank up to the farm. A small       patch of Hedge Mustard has come into bloom quite recently.

Hedge Mustard.

A few flowers of Red Campion remain, as also do Herb Bennet and White Dead Nettle.

Hawkweed.

Hawkweed looks far from over in several places, A few Dandelions and Buttercups are still showing, together with one of the Hawkbit species and Yarrow, and right at the top of the hill a couple of specimens of that much maligned plant, Ragwort.

Ragwort.

Yarrow.