Winter Heliotrope

Wild weather! I have been mostly inside being virtuous - cleaning has been accomplished- even behind the log basket. We did go for a lively blow around the circuit and I spotted with winter heliotrope - Plúr na gréine -thriving at the side of the road. It always looks a bit bedraggled but prolific. It's not indigenous and is a bit of an invasive species but it does provide pollen for any bees still out and about. It has an interesting vanilla ish smell.  Called heliotrope because the flowers apparently follow the path of the sun - seeing any sun would be rather wonderful. And here's an odd thing - there are only male plants in Ireland so these are all clones which have broken off from the original plant ( so say Biodiversity Ireland)