Thick-legged flower beetle on ????
Dear Readers, the Asteraceae or daisy family is surprisingly diverse, and is one of the most important flower families for all those little unsung pollinator heroes, such as hoverflies and beetles. So, for this week’s quiz I wanted to see how easy they were to identify when we gathered a bunch of them together. I have avoided some of the most difficult flowers – when I was doing my biology degree at Birkbeck, we didn’t have to identify ‘yellow compositae’ (all those hawksbeards and hawkbits and hawkweeds) because they were too confusing, and because they often hybridised. Maybe when I retire I’ll make them a priority.
Personally, I have always been fond of daisies of all kinds – there is a daisy in flower pretty much every day of the year, and the early dandelions are a vital source of pollen for many insects that are emerging in the spring. Plus, I have a lovely friend called Daisy, and the song ‘Daisy, Daisy’ was a family favourite – Mum always sung it to me when I was sick as a child with a ‘bilious attack’. Who has ‘bilious attacks’ these days? Like ‘nerves’ and ‘hardening of the arteries’ such diseases seem to have been re-badged.
Oops, this was going to be a cheerful post, but I seem to have gotten waylaid. The song ‘Daisy, Daisy’ was about riding on a tandem bicycle, something that Mum and Dad did when they were young. They explored all over Essex on their ‘bicycle made for two’. I wonder whether the tandem will make a comeback?
So, here are fifteen ‘daisies’ for you to identify. Normal rules apply, i.e. please get your answers in by 5 p.m. UK time on Monday if you want to be marked, and if you don’t want to be influenced by speedy responders, write your answers down before you pop them in the comments. Have fun!
Daisies
Which members of the daisy family are these? Choose from the list below. So, if you think plant 1 is Michaelmas daisy, your answer is 1)a)
a) Michaelmas daisy (Aster x salignus)
b) Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
c) Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)
d) Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
e) Fox-and-cubs (Pilosella aurantiaca)
f) Pineappleweed (Matricaria discoidea)
g) Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
h) Lesser burdock (Arctium minus)
i) Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense)
j) Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
k) Common knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
l) Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
m) Daisy (Bellis perennis)
n) Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus)
o) Canadian fleabane (Conyza canadensis)
1)
2).
3).
4).
5).
6).
7).
8)
9)
10)
11)
12).
13).
14).
15).
1,c
2,g
3,o
4,m
5,h
6,l
7,i
8,k
9,e
10,j
11,f
12,n
13,b
14,a
15,d
The following list is pure guesswork based on pictures I have become familiar with in gardening blogs, similarities with local plants, and a process of elimination:
1c; 2g; 3o;4m;5h;6l;7k;8i;9e;10j;11f;12n;13b;14a;15d
Well I didn’t know all of these fell into the daisy family, but here goes: 1 Feverfew 2 Groundsel 3 Chicory 4 Daisy 5 Lesser burdock 6 Fox and cubs 7 Spear Thistle 8 Knapweed 9 Mexican fleabane 10 Creeping thistle 11 Pineappleweed 12 Canadian Fleabane 13 Mugwort 14 Michaelmas 15 Yarrow
I avoid taking photos of those yellow hawkweeds, etc. because they are far too hard to identify. You’ve also reminded me of the day my elder daughter (who turned 33 over the weekend) sang Daisy, Daisy on the stage at the local Working Men’s Club after an annual Race walk event – she was only 4 at the time! I used to quiz for one their teams – which reminds me that I may not have time to do your quiz again this week. I was busy sorting out my own posts yesterday and have a wardrobe (or 3) to sand and paint today/this week, while the weather is fine. I’ll see if I can find 30 minutes as I know some, but will have to work out or best guess the rest.
Glad you found the time to have a go, Mike :-). I love the story about your daughter.
Thanks for the ‘clues’ in today’s post, that’s helped as I’ve never heard of Fox and Cubs (and I was expecting some sort of hawkweed to be in the list), so my best guesses are:
1c, 2g, 3n, 4m, 5h, 6l, 7j, 8k, 9e, 10i, 11f, 12o, 13b, 14a, 15d. 🤞🤞