Ivy-leaved Toadflax

Cymbalaria muralis. Found this little beauty climbing up the wall of the old chapel. It is not a wildflower I ever remember seeing before. Apparently it is native to the Mediterranean but has now naturalised across Europe.

It has an unusual way of distributing its seeds. The flower heads grow towards the light. However, as soon as they have been fertilised they are repelled by the light. The plant pushes the seed heads away from the sun and into dark cracks or crevices in the wall. Next spring the new seedlings grow from the cracks!