Goosegrass

Sticky Willie. Cleavers. Goosegrass. All great names for an extraordinary plant. Here it is is a pool of sunlight in a South Devon wood.

It looks much more impressive full-screen.

The wood is beautiful at this time of year. There’s been a succession of plants, with Bear’s Garlic, Dog’s Mercury and Bluebells preceding the Goosegrass. I think the next plant is this succession will be the Stinging Nettle, meaning the formal succession in English woodlands in spring is pong, poison, slip, stick and sting.

I think I still have some Goosegrass stuck to me.

Further into the wood is a butterfly guarding its position in the sunlight against all-comers. It flies as soon as it seen another and commences an aerial battle.

It’s a Red Admirable.

Or, since admirable is difficult to say, a Red Admiral. It’s perfect timing because the main food plant of their caterpillars is the Stinging Nettle. More power to them, I say.