A little bit of botanical art

For the last two or three years I have been painting some of the British wildflowers I see when I’m out and about. We have a lovely flora, and at one time most people would have known the names of at least the most common plants. These days most people don’t even see them (even if they walk right past them), let alone know their names. It has been referred to as plant blindness by the people who study such things. This is my tiny contribution to trying to change that. The painting on the left is Early Dog Violet (Viola reichenbachiana). Here are a few others that I have painted recently:

Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica): has a reputation for being a bit stinky, but I'm rather fond of it and love the deep red flowers. Common in hedgerows and woodlands in the summer.

Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare): common on waste ground, grassy places, shingle, dunes in the summer.

Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis): found on grassland during the summer.

Scarlet Pimpernel (Lysimachia arvensis [previously Anagallis arvensis]) This is a tiny plant, found on open ground and waste or arable land. Usually elicits an "ooh look!" as it's one of those plants that makes you smile when you see it.