Speedwell

Ivy-leaved Speedwell  (Veronica hederifolia)

Dotted liberally throughout the lawn at the moment are the small, hairy leaves and tiny purplish-blue flowers of Ivy-leaved Speedwell (Veronica hederifolia). It's a persistent little annual, typically making its first appearance sometime in March, and flowering right through to the end of the summer. A low, sprawling plant, it often forms low mats and seldom reaches heights of more than a few inches. It particularly likes well-drained soil and full sun, so it's finding many more favourable sites in the garden, now that we've lost a few of our large trees. Native to Eurasia, it's common right across Britain on cultivated and disturbed ground (including pathways and roadsides). As a common weed of agricultural fields, it has been widely introduced elsewhere around the world. The flowers are tiny – a mere 2-4 mm (considerably less than 1/4-inch) wide – so they attract only the smallest pollinators. The fruits, when they develop later in the year, are little four-chambered pods. They're not much to look at in the "showy" department perhaps, but rather handsome up close. And yet another native species on the list.