As noted in my previous entry wild plants are frequently those species that co-exist with human habitation/activity. Here is Red Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum), a prolific self-seeding annual that thrives on disturbed or cultivated ground.

 There are some niche species that persist because their environment is isolated, for example in crevices on a cliff face. However there is little or no wilderness to speak of in the UK so our flora has long had a symbiotic relationship with human endeavour: hay meadows, coppiced woods, hedgerows etc. As these habitats of an earlier age disappear thoughts turn to conserving or recreating them.

 Fortunately certain species like Red Deadnettle are as suited to modern life as times gone by. Lamium purpureum flowers early and flowers long which is a boon for bees.