Thread by @AGAuffret

I’ve decided that the best way for me to spend my holidays after a tiring few weeks teaching field botany is to investigate the wild and wild-ish flora of my garden.

The diversity of this dry slope caught the interest of a respected friend and colleague, and there’s also a recently-cleared bomb shelter roof, a more traditional lawn area and a far-too-large gravel car park (a previous occupant was the local motor club).

I can’t decide whether or not it’s possible to make it to 💯 (plant) #speciesinmygarden. We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully I’ll learn something, if only how to take better photos with my phone.

So in no particular order (but probably influenced by flowering times)...

#speciesinmygarden 1.
Fools’s parsley / Vildpersilia /Aethusa cynapium.

This popped up quite a bit after clearing the overgrown patch above the bomb shelter. Note the long, hanging bracteoles (svepeblad). Poisonous, so don’t use it as a garnish ☠️

#speciesinmygarden 2.
Common bent / Rödven / Agrostis capillaris

I think I need to get some grasses out of the way before they all dry out. A single cowpat can contain more than 3500 seeds of this one. I know because I’ve counted. doi.org/10.1111/j.1600…

#speciesinmygarden 3.
Wild strawberry / Smultron / Fragaria vesca

Delicious delicious wild strawberry. There seems to be a lot of fruit this year. There’s been a lot of flowering in general this year, possibly due to last summer’s drought. 🍓

#speciesinmygarden 4.
Common couch / Kvickrot / Elytrigia repens

This persistent agricultural weed seems to change its scientific name every five minutes. Flowers in a spike (ax), hairs on the upper sides of the leaves.

#speciesinmygarden 5.
Yarrow / Röllika / Achillea millefolium

An Asteraceae that looks a bit like an Apiaceae.

#speciesinmygarden 6.
Smooth meadow grass / Ängsgröe / Poa pratensis

As the senior botanist in my department puts it: “the grass that is grass”. Inflorescence in a pyramid-shaped panicle (vippa), very common. 🌾

#speciesinmygarden 7.

Fat hen / Svinmålla / Chenopodium album

This species, common to disturbed ground, is also delicious when cooked with onion, garlic, courgette, fresh thyme and cream.

#speciesinmygarden 8.
Creeping bellflower / Knölklocka / Campanula rapunculoides

A problematic garden weed, but I like it. Backwards-pointing sepals (foderblad).

#speciesinmygarden 9.
Red fescue / Rödsvingel / Festuca rubra

Common to the fescues, this has a one-sided panicle, but you can’t see that here. Leaves strongly folded/rolled. Usually with reddish tinge, hence the name.

#speciesinmygarden 10.
Hedge bedstraw / Stormåra / Galium mollugo

Bedstraws can be recognised by their four-petalled flowers and whorls of leaves on the stem. This one is very common, has white flowers and 6-8 (or more) leaves per whorl.

#speciesinmygarden 11.
Timothy / Timotej / Phleum pratense

Its friends call it “Tim”.

#speciesinmygarden 12.
Lady’s bedstraw / Gulmåra / Galium verum

This bedstraw was actually used as straw for beds. It has yellow flowers and several needle-like leaves in each whorl.

#speciesinmygarden 13.
Cock’s foot / Hundäxing / Dactylis glomerata

Large, easily-recognisable grass. The Swedish name apparently comes from the fact that dogs can stick the thick panicle down their throat when they want to vomit. I have never observed this.

#speciesinmygarden 14.
Parsnip / Palsternacka / Pastinaca sativa

An Apiaceae with small, yellow flowers. Pull it up and find a (small) parsnip. Loads of this growing on the roadsides around the village at the moment, but I didn’t notice it last year.

#speciesinmygarden 15
Selfheal / Brunört / Prunella vulgaris

This little purple flower can survive even the most determined of lawnmowers.

#speciesinmygarden 16.
Knotgrass / Trampört / Polygonum aviculare

Not grass, not very glamorous.

#speciesinmygarden 17.
Wood avens / Nejlikrot / Geum urbanum

The plants are a common sight near paths, and the hooked and hairy seeds are a common sight on clothes (and on cats).

#speciesinmygarden 18.
Common dandelion / Ogräsmaskrosor / Taraxacum Sect. Taraxacum

Delightful weeds with wonderful seeds.

#speciesinmygarden 19.

Annual meadow-grass / Vitgröe / Poa annua

I think I read once that this is one of our planet’s most successful plants. It’s small and can be easy to miss, like in this photo.

#speciesinmygarden 20.
White clover / Vitklöver / Trifolium repens

Another common lawn species because it’s low growing and spreads itself out. The first of a few clovers in the garden.

#speciesinmygarden 21.
Red clover / Rödklöver / Trifolium pratense

Continuing with the clovers, red clover grows on the grassy slope rather than the lawn. It has red-pink flowers, and usually has a white triangle/chevron on each leaflet.

#speciesinmygarden 22.
Zigzag clover / Skogsklöver / Trifolium medium

Similar-coloured flowers to 👆🏻, but with darker, more elongated leaflets (with no white mark) and the plant spreads out to cover the ground. Not exactly a forest species, as the Swedish name would imply.

#speciesinmygarden 23.
Hare’s foot clover / Harklöver / Trifolium arvense

The last clover in the garden is a real favourite of mine. Delightfully fluffy and seems to be having a good year on the dry slopes where it often grows.

#speciesinmygarden 24.
Common columbine / Ackleja / Aquilegia vulgaris

Featured in a Swedish folk song about plants found “out in our pasture”, but possibly more commonly seen on roadsides. This one has finished flowering so here’s a (predated?) seed head.

#speciesinmygarden 25.
Goat’s beard / Ängshaverrot / Tragopogon pratensis

This plant was part of Carl von Linné‘s flower clock, because The yellow flower head closes just after lunch. The seed heads are wonderfully large (this one looking to avoid the chop).

#speciesinmygarden 26.
Black bent / Storven / Agrostis gigantea

It hardly gives one confidence when even the key stresses how difficult two species are to tell apart. So this could be A. stolonifera, but I went for gigantea because I couldn’t see any above-ground runners.

#speciesinmygarden 27.
Creeping buttercup / Revsmörblomma / Ranunculus repens

Low-growing and spreading, with a stem on each leaf’s central lobe. If you hold a flower below your chin and it reflects yellow on your neck, it means that you like butter. #fact

#speciesinmygarden 28.
Hairy rock-cress / Lundtrav / Arabis hirsuta

This turned up after I cleared the top of the bomb shelter. Flowers (now long gone) are white with four petals.

#speciesinmygarden 29.
Wall speedwell / Fältveronika /Veronica arvensis

Hiding on the gravel behind the old bench.

#speciesinmygarden 30.
Caraway / Kummin / Carum carvi

The white flowers have gone, replaced by the aromatic seeds. Used for flavouring bread, cheese, spirits and more. Grassland plant, here on the slope.

#speciesinmygarden 31.
Hoary cinquefoil / Femfingerört / Potentilla argentea

A member of the rose family, with yellow flowers and leaves with five ‘fingers’ that have a covering of white hairs underneath.

#speciesinmygarden 32.
Creeping cinquefoil / Revfingerört / Potentilla reptans

“Another yellow flower?” groaned my students when I introduced this one near the end of this year’s botany course. This one’s fingered leaves creep along the ground in the lawn.

#speciesinmygarden 33.
Oxeye daisy / Prästkrage / Leucanthemum vulgare

So-called because of the rayflowers (strålblommor) resembling a cattle’s large eyelashes (English) or a clergy’s ruff (Swedish).

#speciesinmygarden 34.
Apple / Apel / Malus domestica

The first tree on the list. I’m including it because it found its own way to the garden once-upon-a-time. Fortunately it bears tasty apples of the variety Sävstaholm, as confirmed by a local pomologist. 🍎

#speciesinmygarden 35.
Perennial ryegrass / Engelskt rajgräs / Lolium perenne

Haven’t had a grass for a while; this one is a common lawn species. Looks a bit like species 4, but this one has a flatter spike (ax), and more shiny leaves.

#speciesinmygarden 36.
Birds-foot trefoil / Käringtand / Lotus corniculatus

I remember learning this species on a rainy Devon beach on a uni field course. English name refers to the leaves resembling a bird’s foot, the Swedish to an old woman’s crooked yellow teeth. Charming.

#speciesinmygarden 37.
Opium poppy / Opievallmo / Papaver somniferum

This one turned up by itself in an unused tub. Liljeblad in his 1798 Swedish flora briefly describes how to make pain-relieving opium from the seed pod, but warns that you should be careful when you use it.

#speciesinmygarden 38.
Chickweed / Stellaria media / Våtarv

Another tub-dweller that generally likes taking advantage of disturbed ground.

#speciesinmygarden 39.
Field forget-me-not / Åkerförgätmigej / Myosotis arvensis

All forget-me-nots are delightful, and this one has the added advantage of being very common. The hairs on the sepals are hooked and the flowers are bowl-shaped.

#speciesinmygarden 40.
Water avens / Humleblomster / Geum rivale

A slightly more exclusive cousin of species 17. The flowers are completely different (but long gone) and the seeds have a redder tinge before they dry out.

#speciesinmygarden 41.
Procumbent pearlwort / Krypnarv / Sagina procumbens

I was not previously aware of this excellent English common name. Usually missing petals, this is another species from the unglamorous gravel-dwellers collection.

#speciesinmygarden 42.
Spiked sedge / Piggstarr / Carex spicata

This is only sedge I can find in the garden, but it pops up a bit all over the place. This one under the apple tree. I’m slowly overcoming my fear of this group.

#speciesinmygarden 43.
Orpine / Kärleksört / Hylotelephium telephium

Also under the apple tree, where it’s dry and there’s a small retaining wall, we have a couple of succulents. Wikipedia lists a load of excellent English common names, like witch’s moneybags and harping Johnny.

#speciesinmygarden 44.
Hybrid stonecrop / Sibiriskt fetblad / Sedum hybridum

The other succulent in this part of the garden.

#speciesinmygarden 45.
Caucasian stonecrop / Kaukasiskt fetblad / Sedum spurium

The last succulent, found on some bare rock under another tree. I’ve just seen that this and the last species now go under the genus Phedimus. One wonders if there will be any Sedum left at this rate

#speciesinmygarden 46.
Lesser stitchwort / Grässtjärnblomma / Stellaria graminea

Time for some grassland favourites. This species is hardly an exclusive specialist, but it is really cute with its small whiter-than-white petals and red-brown anthers (ståndarknappar).

#speciesinmygarden 47.
Cowslip / Gullviva / Primula veris

With its golden-yellow flowers, this is a true spring favourite for many. Hopefully this one has sown some seeds to decorate the slope in future years.

#speciesinmygarden 48.
Harebell / Liten blåklocka / Campanula rotundifolia

Purple (clearly the best colour for flowers), widespread, common and with a long flowering time. What’s not to love?

#speciesinmygarden 49.
Cow parsley / Hundkäx / Anthriscus sylvestris

Dweller of roadsides and taker-over of recently-abandoned grasslands. The white flowers are gone now, but that doesn’t stop the insects from enjoying themselves.

#speciesinmygarden 50 (!)
Upright hedge-parsley / Rödkörvel / Torilis japonica

A pretty one from the same family as above. I did not know it previously, so had to use the key for the ID. Growing in the gravel, here it’s close to the northern edge of its Swedish distribution.

#speciesinmygarden 51.
Few-flowered fumitory / Blek jordrök / Fumaria vaillatii

Probably the rarest species in the garden, its Swedish distribution is mostly limited to the region around Uppsala. It appeared in a space between some lavender we planted.

#speciesinmygarden 52.
Autumn hawkbit / Höstfibbla / Scorzoneroides autumnalis

It’s the last day of my summer holiday tomorrow (but still plenty of plants to post!), though it’s a stretch to call it autumn. Another yellow Asteraceae, plus Eskil.
#InternationalCatDay

#speciesinmygarden 53.
Coltsfoot / Tussilago / Tussilago farfara

Most likely the first plant to flower each spring; a welcome sight after the Swedish winter. So-called because of the shape of the leaves. Swedish books use a similar name (Hästhov), but I never hear it spoken.

#speciesinmygarden 54.
Lamb’s-ear / Lammöron / Stachys byzantina

Most likely planted somewhere in the garden by someone, at some point. Doing very well by itself now though, spreading around the gravel and preventing the cellar door from closing properly. The bumblebees love it.

#speciesinmygarden 55.
Common nettle / Brännässla / Urtica dioica

I’m aghast to find that this is not actually called ‘stinging nettle’ in English; it’s such a good name because they sting. Host plant to some lovely butterfly species and other insects.

#speciesinmygarden 56.
Sticky groundsel / Klibbkorsört / Senecio viscosus

Another one from in and around the rusty metal tub. It’s sticky.

#speciesinmygarden 57.
Germander speedwell / Teveronica / Veronica chamaedrys

A common plant in open habitat - here on the slope. The flowers are a nice blue-purple, but when you can’t see them there is always the two rows of hairs on the stalk that can help the identification.

#speciesinmygarden 58.
Silky lady’s mantle / Sammetsdaggkåpa / Alchemilla glaucescens

I’ve been away at an intensive plant ID course and not had any time over. Now I’m back and can use my skills to assign this to the species level rather than just the common lady’s mantle agg!

#speciesinmygarden 59.
Broad-leaved willowherb / Bergdunört / Epilobium montanum

Willowherbs are another group of species I was wary of identifying, but it turns out you can come a long way looking at the shape of the stigma (märke) and leaves, and the hairs on the stem.

#speciesinmygarden 60.
Curled dock / Krusskräppa / Rumex crispus

Common alongside roads and paths. Narrow, curled-up leaves and a round lump in the centre of the fruit.

#speciesinmygarden 61.
Nipplewort / Harkål / Lapsana communis

Nipplewort? Personally I don’t see the resemblance.

#speciesinmygarden 62.
Pineappleweed / Gatkamomill / Matricaria discoidea

A very common plant on roadsides, gravel and other disturbed ground. Looks marginally more like a pineapple than nipplewort looks like a nipple.

#speciesinmygarden 63.
Shepherds-purse / Lomme / Capsella bursa-pastoris

Back at work today, but still plenty of species left to post (yay!). This one’s name comes from the shape of the fruit resembling a shepherd’s purse (obviously).

#speciesinmygarden 64.
Field penny-cress / Penningört / Thlaspi arvense

And what better could a shepherd find to put in their purse than some pennies? Both this and the previous species are from the cabbage family (Brassicaceae).

#speciesinmygarden 65.
Silver birch / Vårtbjörk / Betula pendula

I’ve been neglecting the trees and bushes, of which there are a few here and there. Their odd placement around the garden tells me that at least one of each species must have grown from seed without being planted.

#speciesinmygarden 66.
Norway maple / Lönn / Acer platanoides

This tree is growing on the bomb shelter surrounded by its offspring that I am trying to clear. There’s also a really nice big one in next door’s garden that we can enjoy looking at.

#speciesinmygarden 67.
Blackthorn / Slån / Prunus spinosa

Also known as sloe, these bushes provide a wonderful silvery-grey tinge to forest edges in spring. Like many (probably?), my thoughts are drawn to sloe gin, though I’m not sure if I’ve actually ever tried it.

#speciesinmygarden 68.
Hawthorn / Trubbhagtorn / Crataegus monogyna

The sickly-looking bush growing on the bomb shelter was surrounded by the out-of-control lilac hedge, but now has a bit more breathing space. This photo a week or so old; the berries are now starting to turn red

#speciesinmygarden 69.
Glaucous dog rose / kal nyponros / Rosa vosagiaca

Also with fruits that are turning red at the moment. The Swedes make a sweet rose hip “soup”, which I would describe as tasting pretty nasty.

#speciesinmygarden 70.
Gooseberry / Krusbär / Ribes uva-crispa

I’m pretty sure that this is gooseberry, but I haven’t seen any actual gooseberries on it. I can’t be certain that this wasn’t planted in the garden once-upon-a-time, but it’s a commonly naturalised species.

#speciesinmygarden 71.
Bush vetch / Häckvicker / Vicia sepium

Back to the herbs. This one from the pea family has hairy leaflets that are widest at the bottom, and relatively few flowers in bunches atop short stems.

#speciesinmygarden 72.
White melilot / Vit sötväppling / Melilotus albus

Keeping it in the (pea) family, this one is growing majestically out of the gravel next to the big bags of construction waste that the builders are using.

#speciesinmygarden 73.
Black medick / Humlelusern / Medicago lupulina

Rounding off Pea Saturday we have this little one, with its tiny yellow flowers on small heads about the size and shape of a ... (garden) pea.

#speciesinmygarden 74.
Tansy / Renfana / Tanacetum vulgare

Not much to look at from the side, perhaps, but lovely floating yellow buttons when viewed from above. Smells like medicine, but in a good way.

#speciesinmygarden 75.
Mugwort / Gråbo / Artemisia vulgaris

Another aromatic path-side dweller. This wind-pollinated Asteraceae can cause late-summer hay fever 🤧

#speciesinmygarden 76.
Common hemp-nettle / Pipdån / Galeopsis tetrahit

This nettle will not sting you, but maybe it will charm you with its pink flowers? An annual that has shown up on the bare ground above the bomb shelter.

#speciesinmygarden 77.
White dead-nettle / Vitplister / Lamium album

This nettle will not sting you either. I’m not completely sure about the species; it could be the red dead nettle. Would be so much easier if it was flowering!

#speciesinmygarden 78.
Smooth sow-thistle / Kålmolke / Sonchus oleraceus

Finding it hard to think of anything to write about this one. Possibly because I’ve just spent 2hrs stewing fallen fruit from species 34, and will probably have to do the same most nights this week. 🍎

#speciesinmygarden 79.
Common mouse-ear / Hönsarv / Cerastium fontanum

I assume that it’s the shape and hairiness of the leaves that look like mouse ears, although it could be the white lobed petals (not shown), or both, or neither. A very common plant.

#speciesinmygarden 80.
Mouse-ear hawkweed / Gråfibbla / Pilosella officinarum

From one mouse ear to another, pretty much unrelated one. I love the pale yellow flowers (badly captured here) and the wispy-haired leaves.

#speciesinmygarden 81.
Scentless mayweed / Baldersbrå / Tripleurospermum inodorum

Loads & loads of these in the gravel all summer. Some that we used as table decoration (and subsequently abandoned) have left us lots of babies in a conveniently-placed flowerpot 🥰

#speciesinmygarden 82.
Creeping thistle / Åkertistel / Cirsium arvense

Common, but not very prickly thistle. Looks harmless enough here but is a very problematic agricultural weed.

#speciesinmygarden 83.
Brown knapweed / Rödklint / Centaurea jacea

Rare in Britain, all over my Swedish grassy slope.

#speciesinmygarden 84.
Field garlic / Backlök / Allium oleraceum

One of the first species I photographed in early July, looking a bit different now.

#speciesinmygarden 85.
Perforate St. John’s wort / Äkta johannesört / Hypericum perforatum

Wonderful with its many stamens spreading like golden rays of sunshine, or something. The leaves have translucent dots that give them a perforated appearance when held up to the light.

#speciesinmygarden 86.
Greater plantain / Groblad / Plantago major

The kids are back at school and for many that means grazed knees. The leaves of greater plantain have traditionally been used to help the healing process.

#speciesinmygarden 87.
Thyme-leaved sandwort / Sandnarv / Arenaria serpyllifolia

As referenced in the English and scientific name, the leaves are similar to thyme leaves, which can be useful for identification, so long as you know what thyme leaves look like.

#speciesinmygarden 88.
Canadian fleabane / Kanadabinka / Conyza canadensis

As the name implies, this species is not a native to Europe. Not sure if it has caused any trouble anywhere else, but it’s being very well-behaved in my garden.

#speciesinmygarden 89.
Field pansy / Åkerviol / Viola arvensis

Another species minding its own business on the gravel. Still flowering as we enter September.

#speciesinmygarden 90.
Sweet violet / Luktviol / Viola odorata

The only other violet in the garden, growing on the bomb shelter. A naturalised species with dark purple (dark violet?), sweet smelling flowers.

#speciesinmygarden 91.
Lilac / Syren / Syringa vulgaris

I was originally not going to include this species, as it was clearly once planted as a hedge. But its past dominance of the bomb shelter, and its stubbornness in coming back has convinced me to give it a spot on the list.

#speciesinmygarden 92.
Greater Celandine / Skelört / Chelidonium majus

This member of the poppy family has yellow, four-petalled flowers, bright orange latex (mjölksaft) that was once thought to cure all manner of ailments.

#speciesinmygarden 93.
Pale toadflax / Strimsporre / Linaria
repens

The last species in my garden is this beautiful, delicate, late flowering delight that dots the grassy slope.

Not sure if twitter etiquette allows for this on one's own threads, but could @threadreaderapp please unroll my botanical journey?