David

One of the many exotic plants in the Royal Botanical Gardens, giant rhubarb can sometimes be found growing wild in the west midlands, for example in some canalside sites.

A tapered drone fly is quite a common species of hoverfly. Less sure about the flower this one has chosen to rest on: it’s actually one of the plants pictured on the sign outside one of the entrances of the Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh.

Also flowering in the Dunbar’s Close Gardens, an imperial fritillary standing lone and proud.

Dunbar’s Close Gardens is a small formal garden about half way up the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. It’s easy to miss even by someone who is looking for it. The entrance is one of the many low passageways leading off the main drag, with just a tiny plaque to indicate what lies beyond.

When we were there, the snakes head fritillaries were the first flowers to grab our intention.

The rugged hills of Salisbury Crags at the foot of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. The peak at Arthur’s Seat wasn’t visible from were I was standing, but I didn’t want to go any further towards the crowds gathering for the weekly Park Run.

From the flowerbeds outside the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh. The yellow flowers are some species of barrenworts: not native plants anywhere in Britain, and presumably at one time thought to be a cure for human infertility. I wonder who selected them for these flower beds, and why.