Buncha Pansys!

Took the dogs to the beach the other day and was noticing how many flowers there are out there.. so though it would be nice to share the local wild flowers and any pertinent info available...
Feel free to post your own wild flower pictures from your neck of the woods and what they are, where they are(general, no log/lat needed) and any useful info if known.

These are easy, wild violas or Johnny- jump-ups, flowers are edible make for a pretty salad. Scotland, north east coast

 

This is hogweed, nasty stuff, at certain times of the year the “sap” can cause nasty chemical burns and blisters. It’s all over the place here and I usually get a couple dogs in every year with the results rash/blisters on there belly that the vets just prescribe cream for (you have to wash the area as soon as possible, cream won’t do squat if you don’t get the chemical off the skin first)
some of you may have it’s even nastier older brother “giant hogweed” in your area (apparently some dumba$$ thought it would be a great idea to import to the US/Canada as an ornamental plant....) this ones here in Scotland though.

If SHTF you could probably use the sap on blow dart tips and the like for nasty results....

 

Gorse bush, funny thing is that I’ve so far found at least 4 other plants with almost identical looking flowers. The gorse is the only one with nasty spikes all over it though...like a pretty yellow porkypine of death. Pretty sure it could be weaponised.....
However the flowers are edible raw and can be made into a tea or used to make a cordial or syrups. The buds can be pickled and used like capers.
It’s not considered to be a medicinal plant but its flowers have been used in the treatment of jaundice, scarlet fever, diarrhoea and kidney stones.
And it’s All over Scotland...

 

See that looks so much like what we call hogweed here but I know from experience you don’t wannna be rubbing it on anything.

 

Arctium lappa: Burdock, or cocklebur. Nightmare stuff to get in horses tails, long haired dog fur, or your own hair. Burdock root is a strong medicine of herbalists.

 

I have grown for a number of years Cow horn agave cactus I had to find this picture there are numerous types as these this is close just darker green. very wicked tip will penetrate a leather glove with ease.

I also grow Chinese Ginger and Horse radish and multiplying onions and a small garden.

Cactus species

I also grow a couple of types or aloe Vera like this



Horse radish

 

Some may see this a rabbit bait but I see a medicinal plant-

 

Don’t wanna mess with this one. Far as I can surmise this ones
Hemlock... fatally poisonous... so..yeah, don’t lick it...

 

Then we have Common comfrey... lots of traditional medicinal uses .

 

RE: #12, runswithdogs. If it has a tap root, it is probably wild parsnip, if it has divided roots it is probably hemlock. If you can't be sure leave it.

 

Yeah, I was looking at that to (I have an app on my phone for id-ing flowers) but I thought the leaves didn't quite match for the parsley so opted for the “if in doubt, assume it’s the nastier option”

 

Wild orchid, not sure which one (there’s quite a few in Scotland) this ones about 3” tall so quite small, may possibly be a northern marsh orchid

 

Disclaimer...Iding flowers is not one of my many skills so I may not get these all right. don’t worry. I only eat. Ones I know for sure are safe.

Rapeseed(not sure that counts as a wild flower but since it’s gotten loose and spreads everywhere I’ll include it)

Dunno, some type of pea or vetch maybe? Pretty wee flowers...






I think this might be wild thyme but since I can’t tell what’s the leaves from everything else....



(Field?) Forget-me-nots (there’s several types that grow around here but they all look pretty similar)

 

Looking forward to you taking another walk and ID'ing some more flowers/edibles. What wild berries do you have there? What about fruit trees? I think where you are has a lot of moisture so they should grow really well.

PS- love forget-me-nots. They are so delicate.

 

I’ve actually got quite a few pictures already just from a few walk.. just need time to try & I’d some to post.
We get brambles(Scottish blackberrys, smaller and not as sweet as us types) Rowen trees produce berry’s that can be used for jams I think, blaeberry (wild blueberry type )wild cherries, sloes, juniper berries, , elderberry.
Not really a lot of wild berry’s here now that I think about it.

Despite the flowers being spitting image to the gorse... this is Scots broom.
Buds can be pickled. Like capers & Flowers can be used in salads although may be mildly toxic(don’t ask me...that’s what the info says)
Also says. Quite a few medicinal uses, bitter narcotic, regulates heartbeat, , flowering tips are cardiotonic, cathartic, diuretic, emetic, vasoconstrictor etc etc......
Can also be used for making baskets, brooms(that’s was kinda obvious....) dye etc...

Think you know what this is? actually it’s not..
It’s called cats ear (or false dandelion) seemingly leaves are edible and roots can be used to make a type of “coffee like drink” but depends on where you read.....

Tormentil
Astringent, antibiotic, haemostatic & hypoglycaemic .. lots of medicinal uses!


Cuckooflower
Leaves and plant are antirheumatic, plus a bunch of other uses.


Clover. Obviously....

 

Was it hard to learn to ID flowers in a different country? The cats ear is a good example, we know what a dandelion is in North America but it is a similar/ different plant on another continent. I think berries would be the hardest because you have edible berries that I have never heard of.