Common Dog Violet

The blue Violets that flower in April are very much alike. See here the Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana).





It look rather rectangular. It has to be admitted, violets do show a temperament.






This one grows in woods on neutre or slightly acidic soils in little rather loose bunches. If there is a leaf rosette of a kind, it is not at ground level but halfway up a stalk.





Common Dog Violet has a big white spur and pointed sepals...






... and a striped lower lip.





Here it grows between leaves of a Sweet Chestnut that, like the Violet, does not like calcareous soils.

Burnt Orchid

At sunset in a meadow. Those flower heads look like they got a dark red sunburn, but it is just the colour of the new flower buds. The lower flowers of Burnt Orchid (Neotinea ustulata) open up first, the dark red buds on top of the stalk remain closed much longer. The plant looks a bit damaged, a rabbit has eaten part of the leaves and flowers.





A few days later early in the morning. Nearly all flowers are open now.





This orchid is about 10-20 cm high and is rather common in limestone meadows.





While flowering the plants get longer and longer. Here, on a rainy May day, the first fruits appear.





Every plant is different (as in many orchid species) Nearly always there are one or more red spots on the lower lip, and a dark red upper petal.




The Japanese flag, or a face, or... ?

Greater Stitchwort

To begin with there were only those long leaves that look so much like grass blades, each with its own dewdrop.





But that was a month ago. Now the Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea) is flowering.






It is never alone, when there is one flower it is accompanied by a hundred others. This perennial plant lives in groups, it embellishes roadsides and edges of woods or grasslands with large amounts of white flowers.






Everyone of the five petals is deeply divided and has two lobes, there are ten yellow stamina and three pistils, and in every flower it is exactly the same. Who says that flowers can't count?





Transparancy and soft focus... for the time being, in a few weeks the flowering is over and Greater Stitchwort is making fruits, and then it disappears until next year.