This week we take a look at some of our less loved plants - but they all have their place and their own beauty.
Gardeners may get annoyed with the humble and prolific dandelion, to be found growing rampantly all over Britain, but we would surely be sorry to lose this cheery wild flower, and they are vital to the survival of pollinating insects. And for amusing children!
The stinging nettle is a very familiar plant in Britain. Once touched - usually by an inquisitive child - it is never forgotten, due to its hollow stinging hairs (trichomes) that pierce the skin like needles, and the irritating rash that follows contact with them. But despite its venom, the nettle does have many uses, both for wildlife and mankind.
Ivy is a common evergreen climbing plant, mistakenly thought to strangle trees. It is now better understood as a great benefit to wildlife - supporting at least 50 species of wildlife. There are two subspecies of ivy native to the UK.
Cleavers are those common weeds that have the sticky burrs that end up all over your clothes or your shaggier pets. Also known as goosegrass, 'sticky bobs', 'stick-a-back' and 'kisses'. It is widespread, except for some areas towards the north of Scotland.
The Cinnabar is a particularly attractive British moth, brightly coloured with red and black markings, and unlike many other moths, active in the daytime. Its caterpillars are equally distinctive and dependent on the ragwort plant - a bright yellow weed often persecuted as a threat to horses and cattle.
Bearer of the blackberry fruit, the prickly bramble is a fast-growing and invasive wild shrub, common throughout the UK, and happy growing in most locations, particularly where there is an opportunity for it to colonise.
