This bank of Primroses (Primula vulgaris) is going strong in Nunhead Cemetery at the moment.

 On closer inspection I noticed the Primroses were growing among a carpet of Dog Violets (Viola riviniana).

 Mostly, the Common Primrose flowers in variable hues of yellow.

 But these pinkish-magenta flowers sometimes appear. I had always assumed this form to be a cultivar of garden origin but one of the gardeners at the South London Botanical Institute told me recently that they are a naturally occurring variation.

 That seems to be borne out by these two Primroses growing in close proximity. One has flowers very pale yellow, almost porcelain in tone. The other has a flower with the merest blush of pink and also a flower that is stained a shade pinker but not the solid pink/magenta seen in the previous photograph.