Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
In message , ned
writes

"Stewart Robert Hinsley" wrote in
message ...
In message ,
diamond_skies
writes

A colleague of mine is trying to identify a flower that was seen
in
County Donegal in August. Her father, a keen wildflower
enthusiast, has tried every book he has to identify it but has
had
no luck. It is possible it has grown from seed from a cultivated
plant in someone's garden.

Can anyone shed any clues? One of the photos shows the flower
head and leaves, the other a closer view of the flowers.

Only the latter photograph was visible.

Try Phacelia tanacetifolia. According to Stace it occurs as a
casual in England and Wales.



URL:http://www.google.com/images?as_q=&s...tnG=Google+Sea
rch
&as_epq=Phacelia+tanacetifolia


Thanks for that.
I found it in Mid-Lincs only 11 days ago and it has been bugging me
since.
Could it be a constituent of 'game cover crops'?

I know it as an ornamental, but Stace says that it is grown on a
small
scale in fields to encourage bees. (And also that it occurs as a
contaminant of crop and grass seed.)

Just did myself a Google and came up with this:-
WildLife value: - Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees like the
flowers. Birds will eat the seeds.

Many thanks

--
ned

http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk
last update 24.08.2005