medicinal plants

Hawthorn - the May blossom

Hawthorn - the May blossom

A shrub or small tree that can grow to 15m in height, but is often a lot smaller because of its use in hedging. There are at least 300 species of insect that hawthorn supports, including being a food plant for moths such as Small Eggar (Eriogaster lanestris), Light Emerald (Campaea margaritaria) and Rhomboid Tortrix (Acleris rhombana) to name but a few. Fruits are important food sources for many birds such as Fieldfares (Turdus pilaris) and Redwings (Turdus iliacus). It is also a good source of nectar for many species of bee, including the Honeybee (Apis mellifera). The dense thorny foliage makes it an ideal place for nesting birds and small mammals.

Elder - for health and magic

Elder - for health and magic

Growing as a small deciduous tree up to 20 feet in height, the centre of the twigs is generally hollow, filling with a corky pith as they become older. Leaves are pinnate in opposite pairs of 5-7 leaflets. Fragrant umbels of creamy flowers appear from late May and throughout June and are of approximately uniform size.

Cleavers

Cleavers

Cleavers are annuals with creeping straggling stems which spread over other plants attaching themselves with small hooked hairs which grow out of the stems and leaves. The angular stems can reach up to three feet or longer and carry whorls of six to eight simple linear leaves. They have tiny, star-shaped, white to greenish flowers, which emerge from early spring to summer.