Seven days into 2009, today brought the first two additions to my list - somewhat surprisingly on a bitterly cold day, with ice on the ground, in the Somerset village of Queen Charlton (near Bristol)
This one, thanks to the expertise of members on here, I've been able to put a name to as
Ipheion (
Ipheion uniflorum), apparently a South American member of the lily family. It was growing as a well-established patch underneath a hawthorn bush on the village green, but I'd never seen the plant before even in a garden
And the second? Well, it was bound to come eventually, though the first week of January is rather earlier than I'd expected -
Snowdrop (
Galanthus nivalis), one of the common spring flowers I'd missed through only starting my hunt in June last season.
Also in the same area, the first
Primroses (
Primula vulgaris) of the year had just about survived the cold spell, as had
Ivy-leaved Toadflax (
Cymbalaria muralis) on the shelter of an old stone wall - this plant seems to be flowering right through the winter this year
