Foxglove is considered invasive. Yet context is certainly relevant here. In Northern Portugal, foxglove must primarily battle it out with gorse, brambles, and giant fern for space. I, for one, am delighted when a foxglove manages to eke out a small space for itself.
The powerful, spike-filled gorse plants take over huge swatchs of forest floor, while the brambles climb over and under any surface they can find, rendering many hiking paths impossible to pass— at least without strong pruning shears. Only here and there can you enjoy an occasional towering foxglove, gracefully rising above the fray to charm hikers and serve pollinators— bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds alike.
At the very top of each steeple, frosty white buds emerge, gradually warming to yellow-pink flower buds as you gaze down the stalk. Next, longer buds of bright fuchsia appear, their iconic square shape collecting giant drops of dew as they turn up slightly at the bottom in preparation for the final act. Below these, a plentiful lineup of open bells appears, generously unrolling a longer backside to better reveal the inside of the flower, where each dark purple speckle is outlined with a glowing white halo.
This particular plant showed all these permutations along a very short portion of stalk. This I had to capture! A true rarity; perfect for a close-up shot. Anything less compact would only show one or two of these variants.
And regarding the heartless “invasive” label, I say to this little foxglove, “More power to you! Battle the gorse! Fight the bramble! Wield your power! Climb to the sky! I’m rooting for you!”
Foxglove is considered invasive. Yet context is certainly relevant here. In Northern Portugal, foxglove must primarily battle it out with gorse, brambles, and giant fern for space. I, for one, am delighted when a foxglove manages to eke out a small space for itself.
The powerful, spike-filled gorse plants take over huge swatchs of forest floor, while the brambles climb over and under any surface they can find, rendering many hiking paths impossible to pass— at least without strong pruning shears. Only here and there can you enjoy an occasional towering foxglove, gracefully rising above the fray to charm hikers and serve pollinators— bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds alike.
At the very top of each steeple, frosty white buds emerge, gradually warming to yellow-pink flower buds as you gaze down the stalk. Next, longer buds of bright fuchsia appear, their iconic square shape collecting giant drops of dew as they turn up slightly at the bottom in preparation for the final act. Below these, a plentiful lineup of open bells appears, generously unrolling a longer backside to better reveal the inside of the flower, where each dark purple speckle is outlined with a glowing white halo.
This particular plant showed all these permutations along a very short portion of stalk. This I had to capture! A true rarity; perfect for a close-up shot. Anything less compact would only show one or two of these variants.
And regarding the heartless “invasive” label, I say to this little foxglove, “More power to you! Battle the gorse! Fight the bramble! Wield your power! Climb to the sky! I’m rooting for you!”
