October 2025

30-10-2025 I caught my cat Victor eating the asphodel plants - they are very grass-like (cats like to eat grass), I had thought the slugs had munched the asphodels but now realise it was Victor

sow thistle? also has a look of wall lettuce so I'm not sure

datura seedpods

sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) that was in the Sainsbury's wildflower seeds tin

wheat

dandelion seedhead

27-10-2025 return visit to Rainham Marshes

common stork's-bill rosettes

hawkweed oxtongue rosette

an unknown rosette

hoary mustard rosettes

one very tall hoary mustard

bristly oxtongue rosettes

verbascum

Crepis vesicaria

22-10-2025 visit to Rainham Marshes, lots of rosettes, which I love, sadly a lot were mown down but a few were still growing there

Crepis vesicaria

bristly oxtongue

hawkweed oxtongue

the hawkweed oxtongue is still in bloom, visiting late bee

hawkweed oxtongue rosettes

shepherd's purse

hoary mustard

uncertain rosettes

possibly Crepis vesicaria

possibly shepherd's purse

possibly dandelions

dandelions

wild or prickly lettuce

narrow-leaved ragwort

lemon balm

18-10-2025

yellow asphodel / king's spear (Asphodeline lutea) purchased from Beth Chatto

This was from Hayloft Plants in June, smaller than the recent purchases, will see how they all do and I have some small plants from seeds I sowed last year and this year. I have not grown asphodel before so it's all new to me but hoping they will help with the droughts and heatwaves we will no doubt have a repeat of in the future.  

17-10-2025 Scarecrow enjoying some autumn sun

late bee on cosmos

lots of cosmos flowers on these plants at the front

datura seed pods, first just forming

common hogweed flowers emerging

closer view of flowers emerging

late flush of Verbascum Arctic Summer flowers

a new huge rosette - I don't know if that will bloom this year or next

a few late Cota tinctoria flowers

it's self-seeded like mad

8-10-2025 today's rosettes

shepherd's purse

hoary mustard

another hoary mustard

not certain on this one

Japanese knotweed, still in bloom

7-10-2025 late campanula flower

I love sea holly and so pleased I had some plants in bloom this year. I now have some new stems and shoots.

New stem in the centre below.

closer view of that new stem

closer view of the buds

new shoot from existing stem

new shoot

cosmos

ladybird on the cosmos

a few days before there were lots of aphids on the cosmos but maybe the ladybirds did their job as later very few aphids

aster

shepherd's purse

rosebay willowherb

mahonia buds

datura buds and seedpods

huge dandelion rosette

beginning of October, my cosmos is blooming extravagantly, even though it's so late in the year but I guess it's their time

the odd late flower is blooming, knapweed

scabious

a perfect dandlion rosette