#common speedwell

[faguscarolinensis]

Veronica persica / Birdeye Speedwell

[ayanos-pl]

オオイヌノフグリ（2月16日）#路傍の植物園

Przetacznik perski (Veronica persica)

birdeye speedwell, common field-speedwell, Persian speedwell, large field speedwell, bird's-eye, or winter speedwell (Veronica persica)

[twistedwhitesnow]

[dansnaturepictures]

16/02/2024 and 18/02/2024-Some more photos from our stop offs in Oxfordshire over the past few days at Dix Pit and Rushy Common and Tar Lakes of; teasel seed heads in a flooded area at Dix Pit, beautiful views, Goldeneye at Dix Pit, Mute Swan flying over at Tar Lakes, Great White Egret at Rushy Common and speedwell at Dix Pit.

[headspace-hotel]

Chemically sterilized...or mechanically sterilized?

It is clear that applying chemicals to your yard and landscape, be it fertilizers, weed killers, or pesticides, has devastating effects to the community of life that is present in every place.

But is the terrifying decline in insects explainable by chemicals alone?

When i am in mowed environments, even those that I know have no lawn chemicals, they are almost entirely empty of life. There are a few bees and other insects on the dandelions, but not many, and the only birds I see are American robins, Grackles, and European starlings.

Even without any weed killers at all, regular mowing of a lawn type area eliminates all but a few specially adapted weeds.

The plants of a lawn where I live include: Mouse ear chickweed, Birds-eye Speedwell, Common blue violet, Dandelion, Wild Garlic, Creeping charlie, White Clover, Black Medick, Broad-leaved plantain, Mock Strawberry, Crabgrass, Small-flowered Buttercup, Ribwort Plantain, Daisy Fleabane, a few common sedges, Red Deadnettle...That sounds like a lot of plants, but the problem is, almost all of them are non-native species (Only Violets, Daisy Fleabane, and the sedges are native!) and it's. The Same. Species. Everywhere. In. Every. Place.

How come...? Because mowed turf is a really specific environment that is really specifically beneficial to a number of almost entirely European plants, and presents stressors that most plants (including almost all native north american plants) simply can't cope with.

The plants mentioned above are just the flowering weeds. The grasses themselves, the dominant component of the lawn, are essentially 100% invasive in North America, many of them virulently and destructively invasive.

Can you believe that Kentucky bluegrass isn't even native to Kentucky? Nope, it's European! The rich pasture of the Bluegrass region of Kentucky was predominantly a mix of clover, other legumes, and bamboo. The clovers—Kentucky clover, Running buffalo clover, and buffalo clover—are highly endangered now (hell, kentucky clover wasn't even DISCOVERED until 2013) and the bamboo—Giant rivercane, Arundinaria gigantea—has declined in its extent by 98%. Do European white and red clovers fulfill the niches that native clovers once did? Dunno, probably not entirely.

One of the biggest troubles with "going native" is that North America legitimately does not have native grass species that really fill the niche of lawn. Most small, underfoot grassy plants are sedges and they are made for shady environments, and they form tufts and fancy sprays, not creeping turf. Then there's prairie grasses which are 10 feet tall.

What this means, though, is that lawns don't even remotely resemble environments that our insects and birds evolved for. Forget invasive species, lawns are an invasive BIOME.

It's a terrible thing, then, that this is just what we do to whatever random land we don't cover in concrete: back yards, road margins, land outside of churches and businesses, spaces at the edges of fields, verges at bypasses and gas stations...

Mowing, in the north american biomes, selects for invasive species and promotes them while eliminating native species. There's no nice way to put it. The species that thrive under this treatment are invasive.

And unfortunately mowing is basically the only well-known and popular tool even for managing meadow and prairie type "natural" environments. If you want to prevent it from succeeding to forest, just mow it every couple of years.

This has awful results, because invasive species like Festuca arundinacea (a plant invented by actual Satan) love it and are promoted, and the native species are harmed.

Festuca arundinacea, aka Tall Fescue, btw is the main grass that you'll find in cheap seed mixes in Kentucky, but it's a horrific invasive species that chokes everything and keeps killing my native meadow plants. It has leaves like razor blades (it's cut me so deeply that it scarred) and has an endosymbiont in it that makes horses that eat it miscarry their foals.

And this stuff is ALL OVER the "prairie" areas where I work, like it's the most dominant plant by far, because it thrives on being mowed while the poor milkweeds, Rattlesnake Master and big bluestems slowly decline and suffer.

It's wild how hard it is to explain that mowing is a very specific type of stressor that many plants will respond very very negatively to. North American plants did not evolve under pressures that involved being squished, crushed, snipped to 8 inches tall uniformly and covered in a suffocating blanket of shredded plant matter. That is actually extremely bad for many of the prairie plants that are vital keystone species. Furthermore it does not control invasive species but rather promotes them.

Native insects need native plant cover. Many of them co-evolved intimately with particular host plants. Many others evolved to eat those guys. And Lord don't get me started on leaf removal, AKA the greatest folly of all humankind.

So wherever there is a mowed environment, regardless of the use of chemicals or not, the bugs don't have the structural or physical habitat characteristics they evolved for and they don't have the plant species they evolved to be dependent on.

Now let's think about three-dimensional space.

This post was inspired when I saw several red winged blackbirds in the unmowed part of a field perching on old stems of Ironweed and goldenrod. The red-winged blackbirds congregated in the unmowed part of the field, but the mowed part was empty. The space in a habitat is not just the area of the land viewed from above as though on a map. Imagine a forest, think of all the squirrels and birds nesting and sitting on branches and mosses and lichens covering the trunks and logs. The trees extend the habitat space into 3 dimensions.

Any type of plant cover is the same. A meadow where the plants grow to 3 feet tall, compared with a lawn of 6 inches tall, not only increases the quality of the habitat, it really multiplies the total available space in the habitat, because there is such a great area of stems and leaves for bugs and birds to be on. A little dandelion might form a cute little corner store for bugs, A six foot tall goldenrod? That's a bug skyscraper! It fits way more bugs.

It's not just the plants themselves, it's the fallen leaves that get trapped underneath them—tall meadow plants seem to gather and hoard fallen leaves underneath. More tall plants is also more total biomass, which is the foundation of the whole food chain!

Now consider light and shade. Even a meadow of 3ft tall plants actually shades the ground. Mosses grow enthusiastically even forming thick mats where none at all could grow in the mowed portions. And consider also amphibians. They are very sensitive to UV light, so even a frog that lives in what you see as a more "open" environment, can be protected by some tall flowers and rushes but unable to survive in mowed back yard

[mydododiedandthenreactivated]

The Deets 🌿🌼🍄‍🟫

Foxglove, Heath Bedstraw, Common Cottongrass, Germander Speedwell, Tormentil, Ground Elder, Frog Tadpoles, Cat-tail Moss, Beard Lichen, Common Haircap.

[platosshadowpuppet]

'Hedge witch' is often considered a pejorative, when it should be seen as a mark of respect. After all, they ply the same trade as the titled practioners, but with only the herbs and plants they find as they go along.

No one should be looked down on for weaving charms from speedwell and magpie's feathers, or curing with hawthorn berries and eyebright, or casting their wards with a stick of blackthorn rather than lightening struck oak.

Their ingenuity and resourcefulness is legend. Take common eyebright, for instance. A herbal remedy to treat stys and eye infections, but also a powerful tool to break a glamour of infatuation. And all for the cost of a bed and a meal, or one night's dreams from a contented child.

[the-one-that-weeps]

🌸!

Sunflower: An Shiraishi (and a few other things like joy and loyalty and the cycle of life but those aren't really important/silly)

Yep, the first option was obviously sunflower. But that's way too obvious, seeing as you already made it a "you" symbol around here. And seeing as I got kind of carried away in the last ask, I might as well give you a whole bouquet.

This is Common Field Speedwell, Veronica persica. A bit on the lesser known side, but they're more interesting than they look. It was always used as a medicinal herb for a load of different uses, including anti-inflammatory, astringent, anti-arthritis and respiratory system enhancing properties. It might be small but it gives a lot of honey too, and it's so wide spread it's basically present in any Eurasian culture. It symbolizes fidelity and steadfastness, and it is durable as hell It can grow through pavement if you let it. Depending on the culture it also symbolizes good luck, success and prosperity or death and mourning. Kind of a double edged sword-

My other picks were periwinkle and blue/purple hyacinths! But I'm sure I talked enough already, so I'll just give you the pictures so you can see how pretty they are :)

[janewilsonrva]

Bird's-Eye

Richmond, Virginia (USA)

Based on a photo from March 5, 2023.

You know Spring has sprung when these little blue flowers appear in the grass: Veronica Persica. Also known by common names such as Bird's-Eye, Creeping Speedwell, Persian Speedwell, Common Field Speedwell, etc.

[field-cryptobotanist]

what's your favorite plant?

Out of all of them that's such a hard question!

I think my favorite tree is Picea abies because I have such fond childhood memories of being in a Norway spruce forest.

My favorite bush is quercus coccifera (kermes oak) I just love how it looks or maybe paliurus spina christi I just love it's ufo looking fruit!

My fovorite flower is Veronica chamaedrys (germander speedwell) it has such pretty purplish blue flowers!

My absolute favorite grass is festuca ovina, always have loved it not sure why.

My favorite fruit tree is Diospyros virgianiana that's a persimmon tree I believe. I have one in my neighborhood and I love seeing the corvids eat them when they're ripe.

I'm mostly using scientific names because I know the local names in my language had no idea what most of their common names are in english

Loved answering this!

[sayitwithsarcophilus]

I saw someone talking about "I appreciate the ecological benefits of a diversified lawn, but I live in tick country and high grass is a Very Bad Idea," and it made me wonder what lawns were like in their area. Mowing itself does not kill weeds! And even if they were talking about letting the non-grass plants get big enough to flower so the pollinators can actually benefit from them, there are plenty of fun plants that are either naturally low-growing (I'm defining "low-growing" as "shorter than a pulled-up crew sock") or can be mowed down to that height without injuring them.

This list will focus on the temperate zone because that's the only place I've lived.

Sweet alyssum: this is a garden flower, so you probably shouldn't expect it to stand up to too much foot traffic, but I have seen it in lawn mixes. It's a cute, obliging hardy annual adapted to a variety of temperate climates, smells good, self-sows, and is attracted to pollinators.

Wild violets/Johnny-Jump-Ups: Yuri flowers! Many species of cute little pansy-shaped things found all over the temperate regions of Eurasia and the Americas. Adapted to a wide variety of biomes, although many of them like some shade. Some are edible and I haven't heard of any that are dangerously poisonous, but look up your specific species before you start chomping.

Clover: Red clover is pretty and useful but probably too rangy if you need to keep your lawn below the top of your socks. White clover and hop clover (the tiny yellow ones) are more compact. Bees love it.

Vetch: There are hundreds of vetches out there, some of them way too big for our purposes, so we'll focus on the little weedy ones. These guys are members of the bean family (closely related to lentils and fava beans) with pretty sweet-pea-like flowers in a variety of colors. The most common variety where I live is fuchsia, but there's also a tiny species with pink and cream flowers. Being legumes, they're nitrogen-fixers.

Speedwell: Several species of low-growing plants of the genus Veronica with little blue flowers. Add some variety to your lawn's color palette.

Prunella/Purple Dead-Nettle: These are technically two different plants from two different genera, but apparently the plant I've known since childhood as Prunella looks more like Purple Dead-Nettle? Well, neither of them are toxic, so there's no great practical hazard to mixing them up. These are members of the mint family (but don't smell minty), modestly attractive in an herby kind of way, hardy and adaptable but easier to weed out of where you don't want them than mint proper tends to be.

Mint: Mint can get a bit gangly, but once it's well-established it doesn't mind being mowed - and it does smell wonderful after being cut or trampled! Potentially invasive.

Wild strawberries: If the wild strawberries native to your area reliably bear fruit, congratulations! Mine do not. But they're picturesque little plants anyway.

Chickweed: A sprawling plant with long gangly stems and tiny white flowers. Edible, and one of the traditional seven herbs in Japanese New Year congee.

Oxalis: Cute little shamrock-looking plants (although they're more closely related to starfruit than clover). Wild specimens can have green or dark red foliage. There are cultivated varieties with more spectacular flowers.

English daisies: tiny little daisies. The wild variety has white single flowers with yellow centers, but I've seen the cultivars (bigger fluffier flowers in various shades of pink as well as white) also do well in a lawn.

Buttercups: buttercups like wet feet, and add a cheery touch to any particularly moist or poorly drained parts of your yard. Some of the wild species are potentially invasive, so keep an eye on them for possible unseemly expansionist tendencies.

All these plants will give your lawn a picturesque charm, feed the butterflies and bees, and (hopefully) camoflage the dandelions and plantain.

[magicoldcottage]

Common Mustard

Also known as : White Mustard, Black Mustard, Hedge Mustard, Treacle Mustard (English Wormseed), True Mustard, Mugwort Mustard, Khardai, Sinapi,  Rai, Hei Jie

Scientific Names :  

Black Mustard = Brassica Nigra (alt Sinapis Nigra)

White Mustard (Yellow Mustard)= Brassica Alba (alt Sinapis Alba)

Brown Mustard (indian Mustard) = Brassica Juncea (alt Sinapis Juncea)

Hedge Mustard (Sisymbruim Officinale)

Treacle Mustard (Erysimum Cheiranthoides)

Identification :  In the Brassica family, Mustard is related to Broccoli and cabbage. There are three main varieties Brown and Black started in Asia, White is native to Europe.  However, as Black Mustard is difficult to mechanically harvest so it has become less common although is the most pungent type.  An annual which produces pretty yellow flowers (all varieties) the seed pods however do vary. Most think of the Mustard as yellow seeds, however, these are the "White" variety. Hedge Mustard is a UK variety related to Speedwell but is considered a weed (properties below relate to the verities above).

Properties : Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Emetic, Mild Laxative and Simulant

Uses : Cold/Flu and Fevers. Culinary. Treacle Mustard under the guise English Wormseed was used in folk medicine for killing worms in children.

Try It : Cold cure tea, add 1/4 tsp of powdered seeds in boiling water (honey to taste)

Warnings : Can cause contact dermatitis so not to be used neat on skin.

Parts used: Seeds, Note: mustard Powder tends to be White, Brown and Turmeric.

Magic : Healing

Planet : Sun

Element : Fire

Deities : Mars, Apollo

Folklore and History: Mustard is mentioned in the bible as a cure for heartburn. Pliny in Ancient Rome recognised its healing properties and taste. In England White mustard was mostly used as a food crop for animals.

Plant Tips : Harvesting occurs when the pods are not fully ripened as the seeds when fully ripened can shatter.

For Refences and bibliography please Click here

Click here to return to the index.

[dansnaturepictures]

09/06/2024-Ladybird, view and my first Cinnabar moth of the year at Pitt Down and osteospermum I believe among loads of lovely flowers in the garden.

At Pitt Down Meadow Brown, Common Blue, Burnet Companion moth, Five-spot Burnet moth, my first ever Green Immigrant Leaf weevil, mating Dock bugs, Whitethroat, Red Kite and Kestrel seen well, fragrant orchid, my first self-heal of the year, lesser stitchwort, speedwell, hedge woundwort and mignonette were other highlights on a lovely walk.

[drhoz]

#1912 - Veronica decora - Elegant Speedwell

Another one from Aoraki Mt Cook.

Endemic to the South Island in montane to subalpine environments, usually in rubbly ground such as braided riverbeds, screes, moraines, stony ground and stone-strewn grassland.

The genus is named after Saint Veronica, who in Christian mythology gave Jesus her veil to wipe his brow as he carried the cross through Jerusalem, although the common name of the plants is ‘speedwell’ and it’s anybody’s guess which idea came first. The name Veronica is often believed to derive from the Latin vera ‘truth’ and iconica ‘image’, but it is actually derived from the Macedonian Berenice meaning ‘bearer of victory’. 

Incidentally, the name Aoriki refers to the Māori legend about the creation of the South Island - an overturned canoe crewed by the sons of the Sky Father  Rakinui. The brothers were on a trip around the Earth Mother Papatauanuku  when their canoe hit a reef. The brothers climbed onto the top of the overturned canoe, and waited for the arrival of their rescuers, but while they waited the freezing southerly wind petrified their bodies, and turned their hair white. Aoriki was the tallest son, so of course the tallest mountain in the New Zealand Alps got named after him. 

The English then named the mountain after Captain James Cook, but f*** him. 

[needleworkreve]

Hi! I've been really enjoying your plants recolors, and I was wondering if you had a list anywhere of the flowers you used as reference for the meadow flower recolors? They're really pretty, and I'd love to learn more about them, but I don't know enough about wildflowers to be able to recognize any from color alone. I'm sure you're very busy, so thank you for your time!

I'm so happy you love those flowers, they're a project near and dear to my heart!

Pink, yellow, and white refers to cone flower, black eyed susans, and daisies

The orange, red, white comes from cardinal flower, tigerlilies, and fleabane

Purple, yellow, white is a spring combination inspired by irises and crocuses

Red, blue, and yellow is poppies, flax, and buttercups

Orange, yellow, blue is one I tend to see in July on the US east coast.

Two blues and purple come from some common weeds violets, bluets, and corn speedwell

Purple, blue and orange comes from cornflowers, asters, and milkweed

Keep your eyes open on empty lots and you'll be amazed at the colors!

[twistedthistlehomestead]

I walk around our property looking at the different “weeds” growing. I’m new to learning about herbalism so I use an app to find out what a lot of things are. But I also do research to make sure the app is telling me correctly.

These are some of the plants that the app says we have here:

Thistle

Curly Dock

Carolina Geranium

Hairy Buttercup

Spiny Sowthistle

Common Vetch

Lesser Swinecress

Horse weed

Pennsylvania Everlasting

Chinese Bushclover

Groundseltree

Japanese Honeysuckle

Sticky Chickweed

Prickly Lettuce

Tiny Bluet

Corn Salad

Birdeye Speedwell

Wild Garlic

Purple Dead-nettle

Dandelion

Creeping Buttercup

Henbit Deadnettle

Roundleaf Greenbrier

Evening Primrose

Blue Mistflower

Purple False Foxglove

Broomsedge Bluestem

Wrinkledleaf Goldenrod

Pasture Thistle

Virginia Creeper

Trumpet Vine

White Heath Aster

White Clover

Large leaf Pennywort

American Pokeweed

Dogfennel

But it seems like every day there’s something new popping up.