This was the prettiest weed I saw few days ago on a little mushroom hunting walk. There is not many things in bloom right now and it is mostly just green or dry. I was quite amazed to see the pillows of fresh green with hundreds of tiny little stars on as I would normally see them later in spring.
Spergula arvensis
There is a few common names for this plant: starwort, stickwort, corn spurrey, Devil's gut, sandweed, pine-cheat. If you think of where the names comes from and know how the plant looks like or what properties it has, it will be easier to remember the name.
For example Devil's gut could have been given because the plant can be toxic if consumed in large quantities by animals.
Pine-cheat probably comes from the look of the leaves. They are thin and long like the ones from pine trees. I suppose young plant, before it blooms looks like a very young pine sprout.
Makes sense? I think so :)
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This is quite a common weed around the world and it spreads easily and will grow in all kinds of conditions. Around here it does pretty well on sandy soils in full sun. They bloom now and until summer when most plants give up and just die :p At least here. In milder climates it can flower until early fall.
The annual plant is about 20 cm tall, the flowers are not more than 1 cm across. They will bloom like this for weeks and while one flower fades and starts to form seed pod, another one will open. Thousands of seeds then is spread by the wind on a large area. And here is a fun fact: the seeds can stay dug up in the soil for a few years before they get the right conditions to germinate.
You can see the stems carrying spent flowers that will turn to pods, ones in full bloom and plenty of little buds.
Hundreds and hundreds of little starts.
Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.
They are beautiful. Did you know they only open in the afternoon?
That I didn't know... I shot those after lunchtime.
Despite the fact that the flowers are small, they are beautiful!
They are adorable :)
👍
We appreciate your work and your post has been manually curated by @redheadpei on behalf of Amazing Nature Community. It will be added to the weekly botany curation post. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! That's awesome :D
What a beauty! 😍💚💛
Do you know how lucky you are to have these fascinating flowers in winter? ☺ First, I thought it's your memories 😉
!BEER
They bloom now, cause they die in the summer heat.
I would like some snow though..
Oh, come over! We have a lot of snow, enough for everyone ;)
I'm on my way :D
That such a cute and beautiful flower can also be toxic?
nature is always can be surprising isn't it?
great shots as always
It's their secret weapon :p Fooling everyone :D
Thank you :)
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Thank you :)
In the morning sunshine, it is beautiful to see such beautiful flowers blooming on a large expanse of grass. I think you are lucky.
They were a pretty cool sight indeed :)
Wow, it's amazing that you get to see such beautiful "weeds" at this time of the year. It's just that there's a snowstorm and terrible weather. Although the "Devil's gut" sounds threatening, it looks beautiful. Great photos 👍
I would love to have some snowstorm. Really... Al the pretty white photos.. :)
Winter here is pretty green and rainy. Little weeds love it!
@ewkaw. Such a pretty weed. I love the way your have captured the beauty of the white flowers, contrasting against the leaves. Wonderful description of the weed too. Thanks. Learnt a new species today.
I focus more on wildlife pics. Your post educated me on the flora. 😀👍
Thank you! I am familiar with your photos :) Shooting birds is something I still have to master a bit.
Your photos are always so beautiful, and for you beautiful is an everyday thing.
Thank you! Most of those little weeds are very nice when you take a closer look.
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@redheadpei thank you! :)