Olga and I took a walk through the cemetery yesterday, where the grass is higher than ever. Gigantic dandelions are standing fluffy and tall, and wildflowers like cow vetch, meadow pea and buttercups are everywhere.
I know what some of those wildflowers are because I finally downloaded one of those nifty plant-identifier apps onto my phone. We have a very strange, leafy plant growing on the patio and I wanted to find out what it was, so that was my motivation. (Turns out it's coltsfoot.) Anyway, this app is really good and so far it's taught me a lot about various plants.
For example, there's something in our garden with a purple flower spike and I've never been sure what it is:
Those of you familiar with British weeds may recognize this as betony, woundwort or hedge nettle. I had no idea, although I've heard people complain about betony and what a terrible weed it can be. The app finally sorted that out for me. (We don't mind the betony; the bees like it.)
Anyway, back to the cemetery:
Although many of the plants in the butterfly garden -- the scabious, the knapweed -- are not yet blooming, the walking thistles are. I saw this odd-looking fly buzzing around them. It looks like a robber fly, but I'm not sure.
I'm still not seeing many butterflies -- I think it's been too chilly this spring.
The leaves of the meadow buttercup can be pretty impressive.
Olga rolled in the long grass and got her fur thoroughly damp.
In the evening we were in the mood for a lightweight movie, so we watched "Wet Hot American Summer," which I never saw when it came out way back in 2001. It stars several well-known former "Saturday Night Live" comics, like Janeane Garofalo, as well as a very young Bradley Cooper, and it was a hoot.
The night before we binged all of Netflix's "Halston," about the fashion designer, which we also liked. The only thing I remember about Halston is his cologne, but I wasn't really paying any attention to fashion back in the late '70s and early '80s -- at least not beyond Left Bank terrycloth shirts and Ocean Pacific shorts, which was about as sophisticated as I got in my early and mid-teens. (I'm no better now, but I have at least moved on to different brands.)
Which plant identifier app did you get? Is it free? I keep meaning to get one but not sure which.
ReplyDeletePS What is the plant in the top picture? It looks like one I used to see a few years ago on a dog walk, and tried to grow some from seeds I collected. The flower is either purple or yellow, a bit like a very smart daisy if I remember correctly. Can't now remember the name, though I eventually found it after a lot of web searching!
ReplyDeleteOK, I thought it was just a big dandelion. But using my handy plant app, I learned it's "yellow goat's beard" (Tragopogon pratensis). I also learned that I can take a picture of a picture of a plant and the app will identify it! LOL
DeleteThe app I got is called "Picture This." I'm just using the free, limited version. Be sure if you get it not to click on the button that starts charging you a subscription fee (unless you want that, of course).
Here that plant is called salsify.
DeleteI remember having a Halstonesque period where I wore black turtlenecks and a trenchcoat. I wanted a leather trench coat but never bought one (I’m glad). Then he was sold at JCPenney and I lost interest (what a shameful elitist). That flower app sounds interesting. I wonder if I can find one for Southern Spain. Oh, and the betony is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the show explains how his brand got diluted through corporate ownership. The JCPenney connection was its death knell. I think this plant app works worldwide...?
DeleteMay I put in a request? For the sake of clarity and accuracy would you please refer to plants by their Latin botanical binomials as first developed by Carl Linnaeus in the eighteenth century? This will avoid potentially painful misunderstandings. For instance, that is not betony it is betonica officinalis.
ReplyDeleteI actually do use the latin names a lot of times. BTW, genus is always capitalized -- Betonica officinalis. :)
Delete:(
DeleteIf I'm seeing it correctly, the purple flower is called 'bee balm' here. After the tea tax, colonists (the upstarts!) used bee balm as a substitute for tea. And yes, bees do love it.
ReplyDeleteThe plant I know as "bee balm" is Monarda, which is in the same family as betony but a different species. But common names vary from place to place, so "bee balm" in your area may refer to this plant.
DeletePS, like Frances, I'd be interested in knowing what app you chose.
ReplyDeletePictureThis! Supposedly, it can also diagnose plant illnesses and do some other things. I'm using the free version.
DeleteWho knew there was an app for that, even though they keep saying that in the ads. There IS an app for everything.
ReplyDeleteIt's true!
DeleteI use the Picture This app too. It's a good one. That meadow buttercup leaf is amazing. Looks like something that should be on a coat of arms.
ReplyDeleteI tried watching Halston but I just couldn't get into it. I felt like the acting was terrible. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood.
My only criticism of the app so far is that the first time I opened it, it took me a while to figure out how to get past the screen for paying the annual subscription fee. (For anyone who needs a hint, there's a "cancel" button in the upper right corner of the screen. If you hit that you'll be using it for free.)
DeleteI didn't think the acting was terrible in "Halston" -- I think he was supposed to be a bit swishy. Once I got used to it I didn't even notice.
I downloaded Picture This but deleted it because of the recurring charge. I'll have to try again for the free version.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same app, but as I said above to Ms. Moon, you have to hit the "cancel" button to get past the screen that asks you to pay. At least that's how it worked on my version.
DeleteI'm going to have to learn to use our iPhone for more than just playing music. I love the idea of ID apps. My twin brother told me he uses one to identify birds.
ReplyDeleteWe're not seeing many butterflies here either. The only ones so far have been the beautiful yellow swallowtail. There should be many more. I've been a little worried because of the disastrous decline in Monarch butterfly numbers. I sure hope we all start to see more butterflies soon.
A bird app would be really handy! I'd like to have one that hears their calls and identifies them. I think the butterflies will eventually emerge. We're a bit behind on everything here because it's been so cool.
DeleteIn North America, a great bird call app is BirdNet. Don't know if it would work in the UK. K in Colorado
DeleteGreat set of photos today. I especially like the first one. I have that Picture This app on my phone and I always forget it's there.
ReplyDeleteDoes it work with cactus? LOL!
DeleteMy next project is to download a plant app. My friends have them and it's just like magic.
ReplyDeleteThey are great! No more wondering, "What is that plant?!"
DeleteDownloading the app now... I wonder if it would have told us that we were growing a bumper crop of bee balm before we finally figured it out (from the leaves - they didn't start blooming until last week).
ReplyDeleteNice! I've heard bee balm will take over, but we planted some several years ago and it promptly died!
DeleteThat's a gorgeous photo of Olga. I'm thinking of downloading an app like that too. A friend had told me about it but I wasn't sure if it really worked. Now I think I will get the app. Thanks, you have a super day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteTry it out! I really like it so far.
DeleteNow that I have some flowers and plants, I might need that app in the future. Olga looks lovely, as always.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I assume it works on plants all over the world, but I don't know for sure.
DeleteDon't thistles have beautiful blooms for such ouchy plants?!
ReplyDeleteThey do! And these particular thistles can be quite thuggish, forming huge colonies. They spread by runners in the ground.
DeleteI am glad I didn't eat what I thought was dandelions. Mine didn't look like those on the photo. Most likely they weren't dandelions. I don't have to worry about eating leafy green veggies now because my blood thinner (warfarin) have put me on a diet and it eliminate those kind of vegetable. I love them but now I can't eat them. Hug Olga for me and tell Dave Hi. Happy vacation to you both and Olga too. Olga the cutie fur baby.
ReplyDeleteWell, apparently that big dandelion isn't a dandelion at all -- it's "yellow goat's beard." I would be sad to have to give up leafy greens, I love them so much! But staying healthy is more important, I guess!
DeleteOlga looks see through when she is damp.
ReplyDeleteHa! That's a great way to put it! Her fur gets this very textured look. She dries quickly, though.
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