My selection for #thewinter10 this week from two downland walks - common milkwort, yarrow, wood avens, clustered bellflower, common toadflax, fairy flax, small scabious, greater knapweed, hogweed and common mouse-ear. #wildflowerhour

A small copper butterfly reluctant to move far on a chilly and breezy day, journeying simply fom a dandelion-type flower to a nearby stalk, seen last week at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks). #WildWebsWednesday

Possibly the tachinid fly ectophasia crassipennis, feeding off yarrow, seen yesterday on Stockbridge Down (Hants), for #WildWebsWednesday

From my walks at Streatley (W.Berks) this week, bush vetch, musk mallow and long-stalked cranes-bill. #wildflowerhour

Long-stalked crane's-bill and harebell from my walk yesterday at Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour

Common milkwort in both blue and pink forms now reappearing at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks), 18/10/2025. #wildflowerhour

Bastard toadflax (thesium humifusum), a single tiny bloom of clustered bellflower (campanula glomerata) and devil's-bit scabious (succisa pratensis) seen today at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour

Variations in pale toadflax, from my walk today at Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour

Some tiny autumn gentians spotted on a walk this week on Stockbridge Down (Hants). #wildflowerhour

Some echoes of spring this week on Stockbridge Down (Hants) - germander speedwell and (assumed) sweet violets. #wildflowerhour

Common toadflax (linaria vulgaris) from a walk this week on Stockbridge Down (Hants). #wildflowerhour

It's hard to pick a #FavouritePlant from all those seen in a season but it is one with a mainly western distribution seen on our holiday in Devon that stands out in my mind. It is navelwort, here growing on a stony bank facing the sea. #wildflowerhour

Chiltern gentians this week at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks) for #wildflowerhour. Pictures 2 & 3 are of the same plant 2 days apart, the 1st showing the flowers largely closed in dullish, breezy conditions and the 2nd showing (some) flowers fully open in bright sunshine.

Some #SeedHeads from my walk yesterday at Streatley (W. Berks) - teasel, carline thistle and wild carrot. #wildflowerhour

Autumn gentians have been scarce at The Holies (at Streatley, W. Berks) this year with none found for last week's gentian challenge, so pleasantly surprised this week to find even one of the related chiltern gentians. #wildflowerhour

Hawthorn berries, elderberries and acorns from my walks (N. Hants & W. Berks) this week for the #fruits challenge for #wildflowerhour.

Trifid bur-marigold (bidens tripartita) seen this week around the dried out main pond at Ashford Hill Meadows. #wildflowerhour

2025 of course!

Nettle-leaved bellflower (campanula trachelium) at Warburg nature reserve, 24/8/2024. #wildflowerhour

Yellow wort and common centaury from walks in W. Berks and S. Oxon respectively this week for the #GentianFamily challenge. #wildflowerhour

Some thistles from my walk yesterday at Streatley (W. Berks) for the #DaisyFamily challenge - carline thistle, dwarf thistle, woolly thistle and creeping thistle. #wildflowerhour

Round-headed rampions pop up sporadically on Stockbridge Down (Hants) so I look out for them and am always pleased to find a few. Here are three found in the same location this week, at different stages in their life cycle. #wildflowerhour

A white-tailed bumblebee (I think) taking its time to feed off the last available flower of a woolly thistle (cirsium eriophorum) today at Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour #PollinatorPals

Some autumn gentians, all unusually small and with larger plants conspicuous by their absence, spotted on my walk today at Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour

Devil's-bit scabious (succisa pratensi) in flower today at Streatley (W. Berks). The second picture shows the flower with an unidentified visitor. #wildflowerhour #PollinatorPals

Skullcap (scutellaria galericulata) and gypsywort (lycopus europaeus) from a visit this week to Ashford Hill Meadows (N. Hants). Late for #wildflowerhour

Blue fleabane (erigeron acris) flowers and seedheads from a walk at Streatley (W. Berks) this week. #wildflowerhour

First of the autumn gentians (gentianella amarella) coming into flower this week at The Holies, Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour

From a walk this week along arable field edges (N. Hants), sharp-leaved fluellen (kickxia elatine) and fool's parsley (aethusa cynapium). #wildflowerhour

Woolly thistle (cirsium eriophorum) starting to flower, seen earlier today at Streatley (W. Berks). #wildflowerhour