When I was Grandmothering this afternoon the baby in question didn't want to go to sleep - so it was out with the pushchair and on with our coats and a wander round the park for an hour.  


Whilst we walked along I was chatting to her about which wild flowers we were seeing along the way - I'm sure she didn't understand a word but it at least made my walk more interesting.

nettles - ouch!

We passed a small wood full of blue bells and saw lots of dandelions (beautiful to her no doubt, but not to me as a dedicated gardener), also daisies, nettles and wild garlic.

sticky weed

What I did realise is how few names I knew for what we were seeing.  So I've been looking up the most common wild flowers.


Most of us know nettles, thistles, dock leaves,  .... then the mind goes a little blank. 

Then there are pink campions, ivy leaved toadflax (what a wonderful name), cow parsley, celandines, primroses, clover, foxgloves, poppies, sticky weed (sure that's not its real name). 

some Ivy-Leaved Toadflax

Looking at the daisies in this photo reminds me of when our older daughter was small. We were about to mow the lawn but she was very upset as that would deadhead all the daisies.  'Please don't kill the daisies, Daddy!'  


So we said 'you pick all the daisies, and then Daddy can mow the lawn afterwards'.  It was great, she spent at least an hour happily occupied picking all the flowers.  Then Daddy could mow the lawn.  

Here's a guide to the 65 most common plants in the 

UK http://www.lancashirewildlife.org.uk/leaflets/CPS-FLOWER-GUIDE.pdf and also http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Patterns_in_Plants.htm

and if you feel really dedicated, here are 850 or more wild flowers, I didn't realise there were so many!:  http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Plant_Families_Index.html