WILD FLOWER WEEK

It was raining and very windy first thing this morning, but I told Mr. HCB I would like to go and photograph the Valerian I had seen the other day.

We went for a coffee and then on the way home as it had stopped raining, Mr. HCB drove to a little lane in the middle of Old Town.  I did get photographs of the Valerian, but when I turned to walk back to the car saw this wild iris that was growing on a bank on the other side of the lane.

I have Googled this plant and believe it is Iris foetidissima or Stinking Iris, commonly found in open woodland and hedge banks, and indeed, that was where this was found - near a woodland and in a hedge bank.

Apparently, the leathery, dark green leaves are foul-smelling when crushed, but I can’t vouch for that.  It is tolerant of most soil types and is unpalatable and toxic to livestock and poisonous seeds may affect birdlife.  

Amazing how something so beautiful can have such a devastating effect on wildlife and be classed as a weed.

I prefer to call it a wild flower - and therefore submit it for the Wild Flower Challenge hosted by Miranda1008.

“What is a weed?
A plant whose virtues
     have never been 
          discovered.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson