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the small delight of the seedhead

the small delight of the seedhead

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This seedhead was one of many lying under a tree in Portugal last month. A plant app identified it as mimosa, but I can’t find a photo online to confirm that.

Whatever the tree, the seedhead was intriguing. It’s large – maybe 4cm in diameter- and bowl-shaped, and beginning to split open like a clam shell to release the seeds within.

That got me pondering how amazing seeds are, and what a journey they have, often through the body of a bird. Some are like little parasols, carried along by the wind. Some germinate close to the mother tree, others far away. 

One intriguing seed journey is that of the acorn. Oaks often grow alone. We tend to think of squirrels burying acorns, but studies show that up to half of the oak trees in the UK were planted by the jay. ‘Planted’ may not be what the jay had in mind. Burying as a future food source was clearly the intention. But the jay puts more acorns in the earth than its family needs to eat, and so the rest are in effect ‘planted’ and given the chance to grow. And the jays choice of open land or the edge of woodland ensures the seedling has sufficient light. 

Coming back to my seedhead – let me know if you recognise it!

The small delight of a glass of bubbles

The small delight of a glass of bubbles

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When did prosecco become ubiquitous in the UK? 

Champagne has always had the name for the drink of celebration. Clever marketing and a strict use of the name has lead to its exclusivity. But as a less expensive alternative, Italian prosecco within the last 15 years or so has shown up more and more as an alternative to Spanish cava. Now prosecco outsells both cava and champagne.

According to the website Forbes.com, there is an interesting story behind this. With the growth in sales of sparkling wine from the millennium onwards, possibly helped a little by Paris Hilton launching her ‘rich prosecco’ in 2006, many wine producers in various countries started to produce ‘prosecco’.

The Italians saw what was happening and wanted to protect the name, but, unlike champagne, prosecco was the name of the grape used to make the wine, not the region where it was produced, and while wine regions can be protected, grapes can not.

The solution? Firstly, change the name of the grape (to glera). Secondly, there happened to be a small village named Prosecco. No matter that the village has nothing to do with the sparkling wine – or any other wine – it was conveniently located in the Veneto region. The area around it became a geographic region called Prosecco, and a DOC Prosecco was created (the equivalent of the French appellation status). 

So now the name ‘Prosecco’ is protected (although the Australians continue to make their version under that name).

Who knew there would be a tale of ingenuity and protectionism in this post!

The glass was fun to draw –  but enough drawing, research and writing – it’s time to sample. Cheers!

Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie

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This ubiquitous wild flower seems to grow with little or no soil.  This large specimen is growing out of an old wall.  Although I think of it by my childhood name of ‘Cherry Pie’, it is actually ‘Red Valerian’ (although surely more pink than red). 

According to the Wildlife Trusts, Red Valerian was introduced into Gardens in the UK from the Mediterranean before the 1600s, and soon became naturalised in the wild, and is a good source of nectar for bees, butterflies and moths.

It may seem like a weed, but is very pretty, and one I would be happy to have in the garden. 

I love the way Cherry Pie (as I continue to think of it) clings on tenaciously, softening the man-made structures on which it grows, and from unpromising beginnings of a small amount of poor soil puts on a splendid display, giving us pleasure all summer long.

To the river!

To the river!

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River! that in silence windest

Through the meadows, bright and free,

Till at length thy rest thou findest

In the bosom of the sea

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow To the river

We had a morning of sunshine last week! I grabbed my sketchbook and pens and headed for the river – and I’m so glad I did, as it was wet again the following day.

A short stop at this point on the river was reviving to the soul.

There is something about being by water which is instantly calming. Perhaps it’s the sense of timelessness and steady inevitability of the water flowing past. The river isn’t shaken by anything, it just keeps flowing. It may be lower or higher, there may be an obstacle to flow around, but flow it will, day after day, providing habitat and nourishment for wildlife, and pause for thought and rest for those who stop to watch.

A delightful find

A delightful find

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I was so pleased to find a small patch of snake’s head fritillaries growing in our garden.

I’ve long loved these flowers.  The texture of the petals really does look like snakeskin, but I also love the shape. Most shapes in nature are circles and curves, but these flowers are almost square, with sharp corners. 

Apparently one of the old names for this plant was ‘leper Lily’ because the flowers resembled the bells carried by lepers. 

I read that although these lovely flowers once grew abundantly by the Thames and  in meadows in parts of Wiltshire, where we live, they are now rare in the wild, and are now only found in a handful of meadows in the UK.

To see lots of them growing wild, the place to go apparently is Sweden.

Small Delights: walking barefoot in the grass

Small Delights: walking barefoot in the grass

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walking barefoot in the grass

Today’s small delight is that of walking barefoot in the grass. It’s something I hadn’t done in years. It was an unexpected pleasure, and as soon as I slipped off my sandals, I was transported back to childhood. The grass was wonderfully soft and springy underfoot, and immediately brought forth feelings of happiness. I even caught, unintendedly but decoratively, a flower between my toes.

If you haven’t taken your shoes off on the lawn for a while, I thoroughly recommend it!

Small delights: the Easter Garden

Small delights: the Easter Garden

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The idea of creating an Easter Garden in church goes back at least to the Middle Ages. After the lack of floral decoration during lent, a sudden explosion of greenery and flowers is a welcome sight, and a visual reminder of the empty tomb.

This sketch is based on the garden in Salisbury Cathedral.

Happy Easter!

Small Delights: More than a pretty fruit. The persimmon.

Small Delights: More than a pretty fruit. The persimmon.

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A dear friend brought me a persimmon fruit earlier this week.  I couldn’t eat it before I’d drawn it, but it was surprisingly difficult to get it right!

According to Wikipedia, it’s actually a berry.

Elsewhere I read of the many health benefits claimed for the fruit, including healthy vision and blood pressure. Not just a pretty fruit.

And if you are wondering about the name ‘Sharon fruit’, that’s the brand name of the variety grown in Israel. 

I love the stalk end with its coarse, large calyx as well as the fruit’s shiny orange skin. Now I can cut it open and enjoy the taste!