At first sight, this photo looks similar to yesterday’s photo of gorse – but the actual plants couldn’t be more different!
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- Kidney Vetch
This is Kidney Vetch which is a small creeping plant, with tight furry clusters of flowers. It grows mainly near the sea, on sand dunes, chalk grasslands and cliffs.
It is often mixed up with a variety of other little plants, creating a beautiful mixture of colours, including Sheep’s-bit and Perennial Centaury which belongs to the Gentian family. These coastal flowers attract bees and other insects, such as the Six-spot Burnet Moths below – which don’t look or behave like a typical moth.
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- Kidney Vetch (behind) and Perennial Centaury
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- Kidney Vetch with Six-spot Burnet Moth on Thyme
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- Kidney Vetch and Sheep’s-bit
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- Sheep’s-bit with Six-spot Burnet Moths collecting nectar
CROSSING CULTURES, FINDING FREEDOM 
Wonderful photos again Margaret. You get them with a combination of a very good camera, detailed knowledge and infinite patience all of which I lack. I am trying to acquire the second of these by going out with a local natural history group. It contains several real experts and a lot of people who have built up knowledge over a long period of time. They have detailed discussions among themselves which go much further than my desire just to know what is around me but they are very tolerant of my “beginner status”. Today’s photo reminds me of walks where I know we are looking at vetch but our guru says it is meadow vetchling.
My discovery today was that the strawberry flowers I photographed a few weeks ago had little strawberries on them today. Half a dozen gave me a small mouthful.
Are you taking photos just now on your local walks? what is there to see?
I have put together some little photo quizzes for the walking group I currently run. I have done a few on local viewpoints and my current ones are gates and stiles of which we have plenty. Next topic in preparation will be bridges. No prizes just kudos if you get the most right.
Helen
On Fri, 5 Jun 2020 at 23:34, CROSSING CULTURES, FINDING FREEDOM wrote:
> Margaret posted: “At first sight, this photo looks similar to yesterday’s > photo of gorse – but the actual plants couldn’t be more different! This is > Kidney Vetch which is a small creeping plant, with tight furry clusters of > flowers. It grows mainly near the sea, on ” >
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Thank you for your kind comments, Helen. Ever since I was a child, I have had an interest in and passion for nature. When we lived in Loughborough in the 1970s, we belonged to the Loughborough Naturalists Club (which sadly no longer exists) and went on many outings as a young family and learnt so much. Over the years, and has we have travelled, we have acquired so many books as we always want to know more about what we are seeing. And of course, these days, the internet is a wonderful source of information and contacts and websites to widen my knowledge. My problem now, as old age creeps up on me, is memory! Have you discovered I-Spot where you can upload pictures of any plant or animal or insect etc and get help identifying it? I always want to know the names of everything – somehow it makes a difference!
I like your idea of a local photo quiz of ordinary landmarks.
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So enjoying the photos, Margaret!They brighten the day. God bless and keep you, Anne
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Thank you for appreciating my photos, Anne. Take care.
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