Horsenden Hill is the fifth green space surrounding Perivale Park. It comes in east and west sections and today we exercised in the western half (the eastern half involves rather more climbing).
The area
Canal crossing to enter west Horsenden hill
A great oak
A famous local pub
Bittercress
A field of Salsify
Salsify
Salsify
Flowering Salsify
Ivy near the bridge
Wild garlic (in Perivale Park)
English Bluebells (in Perivale Park)
A splash of colour
West Horsenden hill has large open and flat meadows with a network of paths connecting them. We turned left into one such meadow and were greeted by a large expanse of what we tentatively identified as Salsify (Tragopogon), not yet quite in flower. Gingerly inspecting one bud, it burst open into a delightful purple flower. If the whole meadow blooms at the same time, it will be spectacular. In an adjacent meadow, there was a patch of Bittercress or Cuckoo flower (cardamine). I am sure if we have gotten these wrong, Neil will correct us!
Some lovely images there Henry. A very intense purple Lilac there. Interesting you call one biitercress, as it is in that genus Cardamine, but this species is probably better known as Cuckoo Flower, because it’s supposed to flower as Cuckoos arrive (they are but I haven’t heard one yet!) or also commonly called Lady’s Smock. It’s one of the main food plants (along with Garlic Mustard) for the Orange Tip and Green-veined White butterflies.
Such glorious weather we are having giving so much beauty in nature.
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(re)-posted on behalf of Neil Anderson: