The landslips on the beach at Hawthorn Hive on the Durham coast (above) have a fascinating limestone flora, where the shelter of the cliffs often coaxes plants into flower early.
Last weekend we found the first bloody crane'sbill flowers opening ...
... at the same time as the last of the dog violets were beginning to fade ....
..... while common milkwort was also just coming into bloom
... and glaucous sedge was also flowering. The upper flower spike on the sedge carries the stamens that have already shed their pollen, while the lower two flanking it are female, identifiable by the feathery white stigmas protruding from them. Sedges are easily identifiable by the triangular cross section of their stem - roll the stem between finger and thumb and you can feel that it's three-sided.
Meanwhile, twayblade orchid flower buds are still developing, and it will be a week or two yet before they open.
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