#devil's bit scabious

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Common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) resting on Devil's bit scabious (Succisa pratensis)

Photo by Ross Hoddinott

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Blue field II: devil's bit scabious

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Flower head, bee blur

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Astonishing field of devil's bit scabious - a field of blue.

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Echo Lodge I

[dansnaturepictures]

13/09/2024-View, Black Darter, Common Lizard and bell heather on a fantastic day at Thursley, Surrey today.

It was also brilliant to see Brown Hawker which was a surprise and Emerald Damselfly, alongside Black Darter additions to my dragonfly and damselfly year list making it my joint highest ever alongside last year which is great. Other highlights today were splendid Dartford Warbler views, a few Kestrels, Stonechat, Woodlark, Swallow, Chiffchaff, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Red Admiral, Grayling, Small White, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, bees, Fox moth caterpillar, spiders, ground beetle, Devil's coach horse beetle, devil's-bit scabious, sundew, white clover, bog asphodel and rowan berries.

[rosemary-ghoul]

Devil’s Bit Scabious

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[regnum-plantae]

Succisa pratensis, Caprifoliaceae

Up on some hills south of Glasgow I found a large patch of devil’s-bit, or devil’s-bit scabious, so another native plant in the Caprifoliaceae to add to the blog! Scotland has already shown me more diversity within this family than what I had previously directly observed around where I lived in northern Italy.

Devil’s-bit is recognisable due to the four-lobed flowers and the basal rosette of simple leaves, but if you kneel down in the tall grass of a Scottish hill top, the purple compound heads will look as if they are floating in a green sea, secretly supported by a thin and elongated flowering stem. Then you will stand up with wet knees, as a lot of grassland is also acidic wetland here, and that’s what this plants likes the most.