European wild plants

the flower has an interesting shape;

It sure does, it looks like an orchid.

Thank you for posting Bellis perennis. I have not seen them for years. We used to pick them up in the grass at my gran's house in Meschera, Moscow Region. Have not seen them in the US for some reason.

Impatiens glandulifera is another one I remember fondly from my fishing trip on Volga with my dad when I was about 7. I used the flowers to make hats for my dandelion doll :)

I always post such beautiful pictures.

I'm happy these flowers bring up some fond childhood memories Enya.

I'm trying to picture how a dandelion doll with a flower hat of Impatiens glandulifera must look like lol! Do you have a picture of it ?


Another native I'm very fond of is Malva moschata I have growing in my garden.
This is its natural 'alba' form;

''''

No pictures :(, but here's the idea. Take a dandelion bud with a long stem and shred the hollow stem. Then immediately swoosh it in some water, the stem threads curl. Then we'd pick an open dandelion with a short stem for a neck/body and connect the two by a straw. Voilà une poupée! Then of cause you need other flowers for hats, stoles etc.

Absolutely love the picture of the Malva moschata in this setting - great plant combination! I keep a file with companion plants ideas and there's a lot of shots from your garden.

I think I got the picture now, Enya! There is nothing that can beat the creativity and imagination of a child. Lucky are the ones among us that can keep that child alive!

Another within the same genus is Malva sylvestris;

a close-up;

and a not so good picture of its smaller sister Malva neglecta:

Another charmer is Mentha pulegium;

closer by;

Great pictures, bonitin. I love the little malvas and have a bunch of them in my gardens. They also run wild here.

enya, I never made dandelion dolls, but we did make hollyhock ballerinas when I was little.

Thanks Kathleen! Now I have to ask what are hollyhock ballerinas? lol!

Hollyhock ballerinas are also mad with a full blown blossom and a bud. put a toothpick between them to hold them together. the bud is up and the blossom down, green parts together to the the head of the ballerina and the skirt. If your toothpick is long enough, you can even make them twirl.

Thanks Kathleen, that's made it clear!

One of the native ferns in Europe one can often find in woodlands and forests is Pteridium aquilinum. If I only had a big enough garden I would certainly give it a place because I really like it!
I specially find it fascinating in spring with the unfolding fronds taking all kinds of creative shapes.

Here is the whole fern;

unfolding;

unfolding 2;

I have many, but I don't want to bore anyone with them,lol, so this is the last;

Beautiful Fern Bonitin, they are fascinating, aren't they?

Sure they are Josephine! Glad you think so too!

another native fern I'm very fond of is Asplenium trichomanes;
I have created a habitat in my garden that suits them and they love it;