Sunday 27 April 2014

My Lords...

Among the bright, cheerful Bluebells and the delicate beauty of the Cowslips, a deep, green plant is just beginning to open its flowers.  With arrow-shaped leaves - sometimes spotted with chocolate-brown blotches - there can be no mistaking the Lords and Ladies (Arum maculatum).
The somewhat paler flower spikes are starting to poke above the glossy green foliage.  These flowers give rise to some of the plant's other common names, such as Parson-in-the-Pulpit as the central, purple flower spike or spadix, is surrounded by a pale green leaf-like spathe, but that will have to wait, as these individuals had not quite opened their flowers.
I mentioned the Cowslips and these too are looking even better by the day.  Around the lakes of Straw's Bridge large swathes of them light up the grassy areas.
Lining the small paths and surrounding the tree trunks, they are quite stunning.

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