September 26, 2016

Autumn Squill


On this roadside colours have changed. It is no longer sallow grey and dry yellow.
Many tiny blue stalks appear from the morning fog.



 
Those are Autumn Squills (Scilla autumnalis) and, never seen before, this year there are so many of them they nearly cover the soil. And they are big, most plants have a dozen of flowers or more. Well, big...

You would not think plants like those dry summers. But maybe, in this case, the underground bulbs took some strenght from abundant and long-lasting spring showers? In summer Autumn Squill has no leaves or stems above ground, so possibly it did not suffer thet much from hot sunshine and drought.






A little white plant between hundreds of blue flowers. Why not?
  



The flowers are still closed, waiting for the sun coming through. In an hour they wil open up like little stars, and it will be more easy to see they are real squills.





There are not only Autumn Squils here. Carline Thistle (Carlina vulgaris) and a tiny Rough Marsh Mallow (Althaea hirsuta) are dried out completely and veiled by spider webs. They also are part of the flora of calcareous meadows.