Five wildflowers our work experience students think everyone should know about

As part of our work experience week with the Communications Team at Somerset Wildlife Trust, we chose five wildflowers that we think everyone should know about. Here are the flowers that caught our attention and why they matter.

Harebell

Written by Gwen

Harebells are a delicate wild flowering plant known for their slender stems and nodding violet-blue bell-shaped flower. They are special because they can survive in tough and harsh condition. For example, they thrive in poor, dry and rocky soils on hillsides, cliffs and sand dunes where other plants would struggle. They have a scientific name of campanula rotundifolia, meaning ‘little bell’ and ‘round-leaved’ in Latin. They sprout between June – October, and they can grow to heights around 40cm.

Harebell habitats include grassland, heathland, moorland, and farmland, and this is why they are found at Chancellor’s Farm - a very important hay meadow that has been and still is traditionally looked after for nearly 40 years.

Lady’s bedstraw

Written by Gwen

Another important wildflower is lady’s bedstraw - a low-growing perennial known for its bright yellow flowers, sweet honey scent, and historical uses in bedding, cheesemaking and natural dyeing. Lady’s bedstraw gets its name from the medieval practice of using the dried plant to stuff straw mattresses. Their scientific name is gallium verum because it reflects the plant’s historic uses and traditional status, combining the Greek term milk (gala) due to its milk-curdling properties with the Latin word for true (verum).

You can see them between June – September and they can grow up to heights of 30cm. Like harebells, they grow in grasslands and farmland. Their conservation status is common, but to have them growing in places like the Mendip Hills is important because they can be used for their beauty but also their importance for farm life, providing feed for the winter.

Lady’s bedstraw are special flowers because they provide essential nectar for bees, butterflies and hawk moths which is further important for us because with that nectar they can use it to help pollenate the crops that we eat.

I am personally drawn to these wildflowers because of their distinct flowers and bright colours that gives them their beauty, which also provides a good way for botanists to identify them to complete surveys to help their habitats. I also like how important they are to insects. Protecting wildflower meadows matters so much and is so important because they are rich habitats that support pollinators such as bees, butterflies and other insects, which are essential for healthy ecosystems and for food production to thrive. Wildflower meadows also provide food and shelter for birds like kestrels, and small animals like field mice. Furthermore, wildflowers can improve soil health, reduce erosion and help absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that can help reduce climate change.

By preserving these meadows, we protect biodiversity, strengthen ecosystems, and can help maintain a healthier environment for both wildlife and people.

Germander speedwell

Written by Vinuvara

These bright blue flowers can grow up from 15cm to 30cm in height. They are characterised by their 4 petals arranged in a two-lipped pattern. The petals are shallowly pointed and unevenly sized with the centre of each flower being white. The leaves are oval to oblong lanceolate, and a dull light-green colour, with 5 to 7 teeth per side and a stem that has 2 white lines and hairs on opposite sides. This unique combination of features gives the flower a distinctive appearance which can easily be recognised in grassland, woodland, farmland, and even in towns and gardens.

Germander speedwell supports the ecosystem by providing a habitat for pollinators, which are essential to the reproduction of many plants. Its dense root system prevents soil erosion and improves soil structure, promoting healthier plant growth. Additionally, it encourages a variety of wildlife, creating a vibrant and dynamic ecosystem. By incorporating this herbaceous plant, you can create a more sustainable ecosystem that supports both plant and animal life.

The origin of the flower is that it is used as good luck for travellers. I am drawn to it because of its undeniable beauty and colour, and it’s overlooked benefits to the world’s ecosystem. Even though it is common and can be found in many places, it is still valuable because it attracts pollinators, improves soil quality, and encourages wildlife. These are almost everything an ecosystem needs and and should not be ignored.

Bluebell

Written by Sam

Bluebells spend most of the year as bulbs underground in ancient woodlands, only emerging to flower and leaf from April onwards. This allows it to make the most of the sunlight that is still able to reach the forest floor before the canopy gets too dense. Bluebells attract many pollinating insects. They can be identified by their long, narrow and drooping leaf fronds, bending flower stem, and a nodding, blue bell-shaped flower.

The bluebell's Latin name, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, comes from a Greek myth: when the Prince Hyacinthus died, the tears of the god Apollo spelled the word 'alas' on the petals of the hyacinth flower that sprang up from his blood. Non-scripta means unlettered and distinguishes the bluebell from the similar-looking hyacinth.

Somerset Wildlife Trust manages many woodland nature reserves sympathetically for the benefit of all kinds of wildlife. A mix of coppicing, scrub-cutting, ride maintenance and non-intervention all help woodland wildlife to thrive

Wild thyme

Written by Sam

Wild thyme is the most widespread and abundant of thyme species. It can be found growing in short-turfed pastures, meadows, and on cliffs, walls and rocky places. A perennial plant, it flowers from June to September.

Found in grasslands, heathland and moorland, coastal areas and rocky habitats, wild thyme can be identified by its aromatic scent. It is a creeping plant that has oval leaves that are in pairs and dense heads of pink-purple flowers.

The thyme used in cooking is usually the Mediterranean herb, thymus vulgaris. Occasionally, this species can be found growing on old walls and banks having been thrown out with garden rubbish. Wild thyme, however, also has its uses: from scenting clothes to making tea, it's had a long association with humans.