An Introduction to the Wildflowers of Ashton Hayes and its Surrounds
We live in a beautiful area of rural Cheshire but sometimes we are unaware or perhaps unappreciative of the wildflowers around us. Indeed some of these wildflowers are unattractive, grow where we do not want them to, or indeed are a nuisance, and we call them weeds. However, all of these are part of the web of nature and bring benefit to the wider wildlife community e.g. the hedgerows for birds, nettles for butterflies.
To help raise awareness and appreciation, the Parish Council website will now include photos and the common names of some of the wild plants as they appear over the seasons. All of these will be native British wildflowers found in the area, albeit in our case some may be escapes from cultivation.
This reference is structured as a series of separate reference sheets. Starting from June 2020, new entries will be added as the seasons progress. The reference sheets are organised by the common name of the wildflower within colour within month. However, please remember that some of the plants may flower over several months depending on the plants habit, soil conditions and weather.
We are fortunate to have in the village several people with botanical knowledge, but if you would like to contribute or join in then please do contact us, via the Parish Council Clerk. Indeed, if you spot something not covered in the associated list of plants then please let us know and we can see if we can identify it and include it.
If you would like to learn more, then the Wild Flowers of Britain & Ireland by Marjorie Blamey, Richard Fitter and Alistair Fitter is a good reference source. It is well presented with good text and illustrations.
Hopefully this local wildflower reference will be of interest, in particular to children (young or old) and general appreciation of the area in which we live.
Barbara Craven | Ian Dossett | Jill Martin | Emyr Roberts | Robin Tasker
Individual Flower Guides
Seasonal Flyers