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wildflowerhour.bsky.social
wildflowerhour
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social
5.5K followers 2.6K following 900 posts
The home of #WildflowerHour: 8-9pm every Sunday.

Wild Flowers you find across Britain & Ireland in the last week.

The biggest cheerleader for our wild plants!

Posts by @botanybeck.bsky.social

https://wildflowerhouruk.weebly.com/
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wildflowerhour.bsky.social
I don’t know about you but I’ve seen lots of fungi this week, shall we have a #WildFungiHour tomorrow for #WildFlowerHour & celebrate all those wonderful diverse grasslands that ‘flower’ in the autumn too! All the wild blooms that you’ve spotted in the last week are welcome too of course! See ALT ⬇️
Species-rich grasslands can be just as colourful in the autumn too - with fungi!!! Grassland fungi are very special and are some of the most threatened organisms globally. Let’s celebrate them for #WildFlowerHour this week. Spotted a waxcap, club, coral or other grassland fungi this week, show us your pics this Sunday 8-9pm
October 25, 2025 at 4:09 PM
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For the last weekly challenge, we want to know what was your favourite plant that you’ve spotted from across Britain and Ireland this year? Share your pics for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #favouriteplant and we’ll celebrate it with you! 🥳🌿🌸
September 12, 2025 at 8:17 PM
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Some wildflowers have seed heads that are truly spectacular! The challenge this week is to find some and then share your lovely pics for #WildflowerHour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #SeedHeads! Any wild or naturalised blooms you find too are of course always welcome!
The gorgeous seed head of Wild Carrot is just as stunning as the gorgeous flowers! Can you find a spectacular seed head for this Sunday’s #wildflowerhour?
September 5, 2025 at 12:00 PM
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It’s looking a bit like autumn! Plump, luscious fruits are brightening the hedgerows like vibrant jewels, beautiful, but can you identify them? This week find the fruits of wild plants, snap away & post your lovely pics for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm using #fruits 🍒
Photographs of wild fruits found in the hedgerow. Blackberries, Elderberries, Rose-hips and Hawthorn haws, Hazelnuts and Yew berries what will you find? Share this Sunday for #wildflowerhour 8-9pm!
August 29, 2025 at 7:10 AM
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Can you find a flowering member of the Gentian family or Gentianaceae, that’s the challenge this week. Post your finds for #WildflowerHour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #GentianFamily. Happy flower hunting!
The beautiful fringed flowers of the Autumn Gentian. Can you find a member of the Gentian Family, that’s the challenge this week from WildflowerHour. Don’t forget that Yellow Wort and the Centaury’s are also members of this gorgeous family!
August 21, 2025 at 8:16 AM
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It’s late summer and the Asteraceae or daisy family are looking just splendid. Perfect for this week’s #WildflowerHour! See if you can find one & share your pics this Sunday evening 8-9pm using the hashtag #DaisyFamily. Happy Asteraceae hunting!
Beautiful botanical illustration by W Keble Martin from The Concise British Flora in Colour showing some of the members of the diverse daisy family. Can you find a member of the Asteraceae for #WildflowerHour this Sunday?
August 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
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The disc florets in the centre are amazing, when just opened they are a lovely purple colour. I love Carline Thistles one of my favourites 😍
August 10, 2025 at 8:54 PM
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This week’s challenge is #PollinatorPals! Find a flowering wild or naturalised plant with a pollinating visitor & snap away. Of course it’s not just about bees! Butterflies, moths, wasps, flies & beetles can all be #pollinators too! Share your pics for #Wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm!
August 7, 2025 at 7:17 AM
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What can you find blooming along the coast? That’s the challenge this week for #WildflowerHour! Share your pics this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #ByTheSea! Happy flower hunting! 🌿🌸🌊
The stunning spiky Sea Holly just one of the many fascinating wild plants that can be found growing near the coast. The challenge this week is #ByTheSea, why not see what you can find, share your pics for #WildflowerHour this Sunday 8-9pm.
July 30, 2025 at 1:30 PM
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The image for this week’s #wildflowerhour challenge post is one from W. Keble Martin’s classic wildflower guide, The Concise British Flora in Colour. Isn’t it a beauty? There’s some very lovely members of the Lamiaceae or #DeadNettlefamily can you find one for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm?
Beautiful botanical painting by Keble Martin illustrating some members of the Deadnettle Family. Can you find a member of this lovely family for #WildflowerHour this week? If you can, share your pics this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #DeadNettleFamily
July 23, 2025 at 12:44 PM
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Is there a wildflower more evocative of long summer days than the beautiful Harebell?! Campanula rotundifolia is of course also known as the Scottish Bluebell. The challenge this week is to see if you can find one for #Wildflowerhour! Share your pics this Sunday 8-9pm! 💙
The beautiful milky-blue, bell-shaped flowers of Campanula rotundifolia, commonly known as the Harebell or Scottish Bluebell. Can you find one in bloom for #WildflowerHour this Sunday? Share your pics 8-9pm.
July 16, 2025 at 3:57 PM
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Some are stellate, glandular, forked, simple or branched. What are? I hear you ask! Hairs! This week’s challenge is to find a hairy plant, the hirsuter the better and examine its trichomes! Post your bristly pics using the hashtag #hairyplants for #Wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm
July 9, 2025 at 6:58 AM
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Dark Red, Marsh, Dune, Green-flowered, Broad-leaved - can you find a flowering Epipactis species for #WildflowerHour this week? If you can, share your finds this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #HelleborineChallenge! With special thanks to @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social for this week’s theme!
Pictured is a beautiful Broad-leaved Helleborine, Epipactis purpurea looking particularly stunning in deepest purple!!
July 1, 2025 at 6:53 PM
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‘Sedges have edges, rushes are round, grasses have nodes right down to the ground’ This week’s challenge is to find a flowering sedge, grass or rush! Post your pics for #WildflowerHour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #GrassChallenge! 🌾
When you look closely the flowers of individual grass species are just as unique and beautiful as their dicotyledon cousins!! Can you find a flowering grass, sedge or rush for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm!
June 25, 2025 at 7:48 PM
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With warmer temperatures forecast for the end of the week hopefully you’ll appreciate a watery theme for this week’s challenge! Find wild or naturalised aquatic plants in bloom and share for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #AquaticPlants 💦🌱
The challenge this week is to find a flowering aquatic wild plant, like this free-floating Frogbit pictured. A fascinating group of plants which have adapted to life in a watery environment 💦 🌱
June 18, 2025 at 8:44 PM
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How wonderful! Looking at the position of the pollinia in your pic on the left (slightly angled & wider apart) I would say Greater Butterfly Orchid. Hopefully you can see the difference in these pics below, Greater is on the left & Lesser (the pollinia are parallel & closer together) on the right.
June 11, 2025 at 6:26 PM
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Last week our good friend @trevorthebotanist.bsky.social launched his new book #UrbanPlants so we thought it would be a great theme for #WildflowerHour! Let’s celebrate our wild urban flowers for this week’s challenge! Share your finds this Sunday 8-9pm!
Colonising the seemingly most inhospitable crevices, thriving in the pavement cracks, wildflowers can pop up in the most surprising places! Explore the built up environment and let’s celebrate our wild urban flowers for this week’s challenge! Share your finds for #Wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #UrbanPlants. Happy flower hunting! 🌿
June 11, 2025 at 5:54 PM
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Can you find a wild or naturalised (like the Crown Vetch pictured) member of the Pea Family? That’s the challenge this week from #WildflowerHour. Share your finds for the magic hour this Sunday 8-9pm. Hap(pea) flower hunting! 🫛😀
Pictured is the Crown Vetch, Securigera varia, a beautiful but poisonous member of the Pea Family. Introduced as a fodder crop it subsequently escaped and can be found naturalised in places.
June 3, 2025 at 6:32 PM
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It’s that time of year when social media just seems to be full of gorgeous orchid pics! The challenge this week is to see if you can find one! Share your orchidaceous finds for #WildflowerHour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #OrchidChallenge. 📸 William Keble Martin
A beautiful botanical illustration of orchids by William Keble Martin from The Concise British Flora in Colour.
May 27, 2025 at 6:51 PM
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It’s the #ChelseaFlowerShow2025 this week so why don’t we have a #WildFlowerShow for #WildflowerHour? Find wildflowers or combinations of several wildflower species looking absolutely spectacular & share your pics this Sunday 8-9pm! I wonder, if there will be a best-in-show?😉🏆
A glorious profusion of Tufted Vetch and Red Clover looking absolutely beautiful!!! I often think that nature makes THE best gardener don’t you?! Find wildflowers looking spectacular and making a #WildFlowerShow for the challenge this week!
May 20, 2025 at 4:39 PM
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Campion, Chickweed, Ragged Robin, Sandwort, Stitchwort and Mouse-ear are just some of the lovely members of the Pink Family or Caryophyllaceae! Find one blooming for this week’s challenge & share for #WildflowerHour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #PinkFamily 🌸
Red Campion one of the members of the Caryophyllaceae or Pink Family, the focus for this week’s challenge.
May 15, 2025 at 6:48 AM
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For those taking part in this week’s #speedwell challenge our crib sheet is just perfect! Especially commissioned by us & brilliantly executed by @NatureLark.bsky.social Start by looking at the floral arrangement to help work out which speedwell you have found. Happy flower hunting! 🌿
A handy crib sheet to help with determining different speedwells to species level by carefully observing the floral characteristics and the shape of the fruits if present.
May 8, 2025 at 1:09 PM
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Heath, Wood, Wall, Germander, Ivy-leaved, Speedwells are popping up all over! The challenge this week is to find one and see if you can identify it. Share your pics for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #speedwell. Don’t forget our Speedwells crib sheet! 😉 ⬇️
Close up of a Wood Speedwell flower. The challenge this week is to find a speedwell and see if you can work out which species it is!
May 8, 2025 at 1:09 PM
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A little fun for this week’s #Wildflowerhour challenge #HighUpPlants! This could be those intrepid wildflowers living it up where you wouldn’t expect to see them or species especially adapted to living at altitude. 🧗‍♀️ Share your finds this Sunday 8-9pm. Happy flower hunting!
High up on a castle wall Ivy-leaved Toadflax thrives in a seemingly inhospitable environment. Can you find wild and naturalised plants in flower high up - that’s the challenge this week from Wildflowerhour. Don’t worry mountain climbing is not required, scope out high walls and other tall structures for those intrepid wildflowers!
May 1, 2025 at 8:15 AM
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Find a flower with 4 free petals arranged in a cross shape & you’ve most probably found a member of the Brassicaceae! It’s a huge family & the challenge this week for #Wildflowerhour is to find a wild or naturalised member of the #CabbageFamily in flower. Share your finds this Sunday 8-9pm!
April 24, 2025 at 4:06 PM