A to Z challenge 2023 – V is for . . .

 

A to Z challenge 2023 – V is for . . .

My theme for this challenge is Nature in all much of her wonderful diversity. My posts will reflect the fact that I am resident in the south of England.

All photographs in this post are the property of the writer.

Vanessa atalanta (Red admiral)

The red admiral is a much loved visitor to gardens all over the British Isles. It drinks nectar from buddlejas and ivy and later on in the year it feeds on ripe fruit.  It is an unusually calm butterfly, even flying down to rest on people.

Females will only mate with males that hold territory and those are mainly the males that display superior flight ability. (Do they loop the loop or fly upside down, I wonder, or fly faster than their peers?)

Red admirals are not generally resident, though a few individuals try to overwinter, often in sheds or log piles or other sheltered places, sometimes even inside houses.

On my eldest grandson's glove, many years ago

Red admirals arrive from continental Europe (that’s the warm bits of Europe, not the frigid lands of Scandinavia, GB, Germany, et cetera) and North Africa in early March and are on the wing from March to November.  Between April and September the females lay single eggs on the fresh young tips of nettle leaves. The emergent adults appear in late summer.

At the end of the summer the adults begin their southerly migration.

Verbena bonariensis

Verbena bonariensis, also called purpletop vervain, or Argentinian vervain, is a perennial plant, disappearing below ground in autumn and reappearing with fresh growth in spring. From midsummer onwards its tall, sturdy stems are crowned with clusters of tiny lavender-purple[J1]  flowers. It may grow as tall as 1.8 m (6’) For best results, it should be grown in a sheltered position in full sun.

Comma feeding on verbena

All manner of pollinating insects are drawn to its pollen and nectar –rich flowers and it also provides seeds for birds. As it self-seeds generously in the autumn, new plants appear all over the garden the following year.

 

Violets

Violets have always grown in our garden, but we have never planted them. They appear faithfully each spring and although the romantic in me would like them to be sweet violets (Viola odorata) I think they are probably the almost identical dog violets (Viola riviniana) simply because I cannot discern any scent. It matters not, because they are beautiful little flowers and do not ask for any special treatment. They flower from April to June, and the leaves and flowers are edible, either raw or cooked, in salads, or as decoration on cakes.

Dog violets are so called because ‘dog’ refers to them having no scent and therefore being thought inferior to the sweet violet.

That reminds me of the old groaner of a joke:-

’My dog’s got no nose.

How does he smell?

Terrible!’

Sweet violets were special to Napoleon and the Empress Josephine. When Napoleon died, pressed violets from Josephine’s grave were found in his locket.

A legend claims that people can only smell sweet violets once, because they steal their sense of smell. A chemical called beta-ionone temporarily disables smell receptors, so it is true, though for a very short period.

Sweet violets have been used for centuries to make perfume and were used in herbal medicine to treat headaches and insomnia.

The Victorian Language of Flowers stated that sending someone a purple violet was a sign of being ‘occupied with love.’