On the other hand, there are some plants that seem to linger on and continue to produce flowers much longer than expected, even after a long season of production. While I was out on a particular chase the other day (more of that later), I spotted Meadow Buttercup:
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| Meadow Buttercup |
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| Ragwort |
The main reason for my trip was to see if any early specimens of Lesser Celandine were in flower. There is one location where I regularly find flowering specimens months ahead of the normal schedule. I cannot fathom why this location should produce unseasonal flowers: it's at a reasonably high altitude (I live in the highest town in Ireland) and although it's a bit sheltered by overhanging Ash trees, it's also dark under their shade. It does, however, receive direct sunlight from the south.
Bang on schedule, I found a few specimens in bud:
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| Lesser Celandine flower bud |
If the usual pattern is followed, these winter buds will never open, but will die off still in a closed state. I have no idea why a spring plant should produce flowers in the dead of winter, but it only happens (as far as I know) in this precise location, and it has happened for at least the last five years.
4 comments:
It is unusual to see those in flower at this time but you must have a micro climate there. I have flowering Wallflowers, since November and more buds keep popping up, same with the Perennial Rocket...
It's also possible that you are seeing a genetic sport. The test of course is to transplant one of these early budders somewhere else, but I'm not sure if it's legal to dig up plants in Ireland.
If they never open they're hardly an evolutionary success are they (unless they manage to self-pollinate and create seed anyway? Unlikely).
It's either micro-climate or genetic sport, because the early-budding specimens are restricted to one particular location. It's a north - south avenue under Ash with a stream running alongside the track. Sunlight can only penetrate a short way along the avenue, since it's rising slightly. At the southern mouth of the avenue there are plenty of celandines that don't exhibit this behaviour. There's a cow field above the ditch, so perhaps there's some run-off, too.
Certainly, the effort of making these flower buds is wasted: there are very few pollinators around at this time of year. I only noticed the phenomenon a few years ago, so we have no way of knowing if the plants did it in years past.
So natural.....
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