Red campion. What is it good for?

[Mercadante]

Despite my curmudgeonly subject title, I do love red campion, which is a good thing, as it grows rampantly in our garden. But I've read about goosegrass being especially good for compost because of the nutrients in it, and about nettles being butterfly larvae food, and a useful indicator that you have plenty of phosphorous in your soil, and red valerian being really good for bees, etc - and I've never seen a particular use mentioned for red campion, either for us or for any other species. Does anyone know of any?

[Adam Cheeseman]

I too have profuse amounts of the stuff in my garden. It seems to be a favourite of Hoverflies and Flower Bees Anthophora plumipes.

Cheers,

Adam

[Cheryl]

I don't know about Red Campion but we have loads of Red Valerian in our garden - I used to try to dig it out but have stopped fighting it which is just as well as we've been lucky enough to have Humming-Bird Moths which seem to like it

[Susie]

Later in the summer have a look at the seed pods. If you are lucky there will be a fat caterpillar sticking his head out! These are the larvae of the Campion Moth.

I'll try and upload a pic so you know what to look for.

Edit: Here you go. One from the garden last year.

[Bub-les]

Well over here red campion is known as the fairy flower and as a child I was never alowed to pick it! So I grew up with the idea that it was special and fairys lived near it!

Culpeper says of all campions "Government and virtues. They belong to Saturn, and it is found by experience, that the decoction of the herb, either in white or red wine, being drank, doth stay inward bleedings, and applied outwardly, it doth the like; and being drank, helpeth to expel urine, being stopped; and gravel or stone in the reins or kidneys. Two drams of the seed taken in wine, purgeth the body of choleric humours, and helpeth those that are stung by scorpions, or other venomous beasts, and may be as effectual for the plague. It is of very good use in old sores, ulcers, cankers, fistulas, and the like, to cleanse and heat them, by consuming the moist humours falling into them, and correcting the putrefaction of humours offending them. "

Barbara

[Mercadante]

Thanks everyone! I shall definitely watch out for campion moths and anthophora. Scorpion stings seem a little less likely, but good to know that help is at hand anyway

[Dan Salter]

Originally Posted by Bub-les

Well over here red campion is known as the fairy flower and as a child I was never alowed to pick it! So I grew up with the idea that it was special and fairys lived near it!

Barbara

Hey that is interesting Barb. 'Bladder Campion' for me has the vernacular of 'Fary potatoes' of which not many people have heard of, i for the life of me cant remember who passed this onto me or where i read it but it was the first vernacular and proper wildflower name i ever learned and is a fave flower of mine on the local chalk downland footpaths. I wonder if the names are derived from the same idea?..

[witham]

is it Red Campion that after it's gone to seed produces the fine white fluff that blows everywhere in the wind or am I thinking of another plant perhaps that's where the fairy connection comes from as when the bits of white fly about they look like fairies

[Dan Salter]

Originally Posted by witham

is it Red Campion that after it's gone to seed produces the fine white fluff that blows everywhere in the wind or am I thinking of another plant perhaps that's where the fairy connection comes from as when the bits of white fly about they look like fairies

hmmm...rosebay willowherb perhaps? im pretty sure red campion just has a dry pod with seeds inside.

incidentally in my reply about bladder campion i of course meant FaIry not fary.

I think the name 'fairy potato' is because the basal part of the flower is kind of globular/potato shaped with the delicate white flower (fairy) sitting on top? thats my take on it anyway.

[nightshade]

Red Campion here brings in Bees and Hoverflies as well as many other flys