Crane's-bill

Dove's-foot Crane's-bill (Geranium molle)

Right now, parts of the back garden are covered with a carpet of little pink flowers surrounded by their (only slightly larger) plate-like leaves. They're the cheery blossoms of Dove's-foot Crane's-bill, one of Britain's native Geraniums. As you can see in the picture above, it's a rather hairy plant, wearing a thick, bristly coat on leaves and stems. It's named for its pointy-tipped fruits, which resemble the long, sharp beaks of cranes; these spray their seeds explosively in all directions when they're ripe. The flowers measure a mere 6–10 cm (roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch) across. The notched petals are typically this lovely pink, though occasionally you can find a more washed-out version. The leaves are roundish, with 7–9 broad lobes. Though more common in the south, it's found right across the whole of the UK, except for Scotland's highest peaks. It's often found in cultivated areas, short grass communities and "waste places" (a joke between Mike and me, because when we met, my garden was full of what my wildflower field guide labelled "weeds of waste places"). Given that they flower from April through September, we should be enjoying their splashes of colour for months to come.