M6 Flower Show!

I guess we have all travelled along a motorway at some time in our lives, but I wonder how many people see anything other than nice scenery, cars, coaches full of tourists and trucks heading to the supermarkets.

On a lovely sunny July morning, I was a passenger heading north on the M6 to Scotland. Having a natural habit of always having one eye on the roadsides, I sat with notebook and pen and jotted down as many wildflowers and trees as I could recognise on the motorway verge in just 30 minutes.

It is amazing just how much wildlife actually live or feed on these usualy undisturbed Motorway and Railway corridors. These green embankments and cuttings are said to be the only undisturbed areas left in Britain where wildlife can thrive.

Anyhow, here is a list of all the things I saw or recognised:

Ribwort Plantain
Hogweed
Meadowsweet
Rosebay Willow herb
Several grasses
Greater Stitchwort
Pink Campion

Meadow Cranesbill
Herb Robert
Field Bindweed
Hedge Bindweed
Ragwort
Several Orchids (unidentifiable at speed)
Wild Cabbage
Common Fumitory
Burdock
Tufted Vetch
Bush Vetch
Spear Thistle
Meadow Thistle
Dock
Foxglove

Cow Parsley
Germander Speedwell
Lady’s Bedstraw
Cleavers
Cats-ear
Milfoil
Nettle
Dandelion
Groundsel
Meadow Buttercup
Ox-eye Daisy

Common Daisy
Ferns
Field Rose
Dog Rose

Gorse
Ivy
Elder
Rowan
Hawthorn
Sycamore
Oak
Birch
Willow
Pine

These were just the plants I did see, and there will be many more that I missed.