Natural beauties

Never mind the roses - stop and take in the wonder of Britain's wild flowers

- LOUISE MIDGLEY

The unstoppable energy of wild flowers transforms rural and urban landscapes with a glorious fanfare of colour, scent and form in May. Unlike many of their tender, cultivated cousins, wild flowers are feisty plants that need no staking, flower reliably and set seed without any fuss. Here are some you'll spot on countryside walks, in woodlands, and even those that settle happily in our gardens.

Foxgloves

Digitalis purpurea 

Statuesque foxgloves stand to attention like soldiers in woodland clearings, on waste ground and along coastal cliffs. If you are lucky enough to come across an army of these beautiful wild flowers from the end of May onwards, listen for the loud hum of bees that will be disappearing into each purplish/pink floret for a tasty drink of nectar. Any part of a foxglove is poisonous if ingested, but these same properties are also used to treat heart conditions.

COMMON MILKWORT 

Polygala vulgaris

This dainty, low-growing and widespread wild flower favours chalky grassland, heathland and moorland. It is predominantly true blue in colour, although there are pink, white and purple variants. While the first flowers begin to appear at the end of April, it's not unusual to find some in bloom as late as August or even September.

Cow parsley

Anthriscus sylvestris