Six Stamened Waterwort (Elatine hexandra) flowering in abundance on Studland 😍 #wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Large-flowered Hemp-nettle, Galeopsis speciosa, today, where it always is, at the fork in the track to Joist Fen RSPB #LakenheathFen #Suffolk. #WildflowerHour

An almost pure-white flowered form of Squinancywort (Cynanchica pyrenaica / Asperula cynanchica) had me fooled for a few moments. Another great chalk grassland species, usually pink #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Probably my favourite of the chalk grassland species, Clustered Bellflower (Campanula glomerata) was abundant at this North Downs site in Surrey yesterday and putting on a fantastic display - these were 2 particularly tall individuals! #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

There were an impressive number of Narrow-lipped Helleborine (Epipactis leptochila) in this Surrey beechwood yesterday, I’ve never seen them doing so well. #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

For #WildflowerHour, here’s Yellow Bird’s-nest (Monotropa hypopitys), a strange mycotrophic member of the heather family (Ericaceae), deep in a Surrey beechwood yesterday - a new plant for me! @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

📢 New paper out now 📢 We used morphological and RADseq data to revise the classification of the diverse tropical tribe Barlerieae #Acanthaceae. We have a good generic framework now, but still lots to do on the species-level taxonomy scholarship.claremont.edu/aliso/vol44/... @rbgkew.bsky.social

An exciting new plant for me this week: Hairy Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus subbiflorus)- no hairy birds involved🐦 In Ireland, just in the far south, on dry, sandy soil. Its flowers are small, orangey-yellow, usually in pairs (sub-bi-florus). And its sooo furry! #wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social

An unbelliferous moment in West Pit, Cherry Hinton #Cambridge this afternoon: Wild Carrot, Rough Chervil, Hogweed & Great Pignut, …& Moon Carrot (inside reserve rather than on the dangerous road verge outside) 🍒🏘️ #WildflowerHour

The stunning Narrow bordered bee hawkmoth in old scabious meadows this weekend. #wildflowerhour

Finally from me for this week’s #WildflowerHour, a couple of special plants from the North Downs chalk today, Cut-leaved Germander (Teucrium botrys) and Basil Thyme (Clinopodium acinos) - poor photos in the midday heat and glare from the chalk (that’s my excuse! 😉). @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

For #WildflowerHour, a variety of St. John’s-worts from this weekend. Hairy (Hypericum hirsutum) and Perforate ( H. perforatum) on the North Downs today and - 2 of my all-time favourite plants - Slender (H. pulchrum) and Marsh (H. elodes) yesterday at Chobham Common, 🤩 @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Broomrapes were slightly past their best today at this North Downs site but still great to see - Knapweed Broomrape (Orobanche elatior) on Greater Knapweed and Common Broomrape (O. minor) on various legumes including Red Clover #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Small Skipper feeding on Cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris radicata) at Chobham Common yesterday for #WildflowerHour #PollinatirPals. It was a good butterfly weekend - lots of Silver-studded Blues on the Heathland at the same site. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

This ridiculously colourful boulder is plastered in two of my favourite mountain plants - Moss Campion (pink) and Cyphel (green). Ben Lawers range. Wonderful!

Sand Spurrey (Spergularia rubra) still looking good on Kew Green this week #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Two wild onions (Allium) on Ham Lands by the Thames yesterday - Crow Garlic / Wild Onion (A. vineale) was common in The grasslands and I saw a couple of nice patches of Sand Leek (A. scorodoprasum) amongst the scrub #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Louseworts (Pedicularis) on the Surrey Heaths this afternoon for #WildflowerHour: Common Lousewort (P. sylvatica) on Hankley Common and Marsh Lousewort/Red Rattle (P. palustris) at Thursley Common - both hemi-parasites @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

For the #ChurchyardFlowers challenge, here a Viper’s-bugloss (possibly Echium plantagineum?) at St Anne’s Church in Kew with Thomas Gainsborough resting place as the backdrop #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Thrilling visit last Sunday to @gloswildlife.bsky.social 's Badgeworth reserve with @timnmosborne.bsky.social to see the critically endangered Adder's-tongue Spearwort, Ranunculus ophioglossifolius. An impressive display this year due to ideal conditions. #WildflowerHour @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Watch the next video in the series, featuring IAPT member Abubakar Bello, Postdoctoral Researcher at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)/Germany and Senior Lecturer at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University/Nigeria. 🎉🌿🔍 www.youtube.com/@iaptglobal

Congrats to all the recipients of the 2026 round for their outstanding work and commitment to advancing botanical and mycological science! 🪸🍄🌸🎉 www.iaptglobal.org/awarded-grants

Crested Cow-wheat (Melampyrum cristatum) was always a mythical plant to me when pouring over UK flowerguides as a youngster - today I went looking for it near St Neots in Cambridgeshire and finally got to see it - and in impressive quantities! #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

I find most UK wild roses really tricky - this one was a small, white-flowered species on chalk which I thought might be something different but the longish styles look good for Field Rose (Rosa arvensis) #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

For #WildflowerHour, here‘s Rough Chervil (Chaerophyllum tenulum) at Chinnor Hill in the Chilterns - it flowers a little later than Cow Parskey and the purple-spotted (or sometimes all-dark) stems are distinctive, a bit like those of hemlock. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Pyramidal orchid today on the edge of Chinnor village in the Chilterns for the #WildflowerHour #OrchidChallenge

Spiked Star-of Bethlehem / Bath Asparagus (Ornithogalum pyrenaicum) in damp woods near Bristol yesterday, mostly still in bud (and you can see why they used to be harvested as an asparagus!) but luckily a few were out - a new plant for me @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Honewort (Trinia glauca) in coastal Somerset today, a bucket-list plant for me, really pleased to finally see it #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

I’ve never seen such a display of Scarlet Pimpernel (Lysimachia / Anagallis arvensis) as this before - carpeting some of the south facing slopes on this Somerset headland #WildFlowerShow #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Stunning Cheddar Pink putting on a #WildFlowerShow in coastal Somerset today - and such a perfect weather day too. #WildFlowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social