Two winters ago, FOGG volunteers were busy pulling up large swathes of the dreaded three cornered leek:
Three Cornered Leek down the Glen – Friends of Glen Goyle
This edible plant does have its foraging uses – but it tends to keep out other plants, being very much an ‘invasive’:
This plant establishes dense territories that can overpower and outcompete other spring flowers, such as primroses and violets. Notably, in certain roadside verges and banks, it forms extensive stands that spread over considerable distances.
Tackling Three Cornered Leek down the Glen – Friends of Glen Goyle
Yes, this is the Common Dog Violet:
Find them in woods, heaths, hedgerows and grasslands.
Credit: Laurie Campbell/WTML
Dog violet (Viola riviniana) – Woodland Trust
There is plenty of dappled woodland along the Glen and so, with the clearance of a lot of over and undergrowth the last two years, conditions should be ideal for the violet.
And Devon is a very common place for the flower:
Dawlish in Devon being an important area for violet cultivation, a train would run daily from here to London with the flowers until the war years when the land was requisitioned for growing food and the trade never returned.
Violets in the Spring – The Herb Society
And they can seen in very early spring – with this one spotted in Cornwall this month:
January Violet | Common Dog Violet or Heath Dog-Violet, eith… | Flickr
Violets would also be lovely at Sidmouth Cemetery – these pictures from the big smoke showing such places as perfect habitats:
Wednesday Weed – Common Dog Violet | Bug Woman – Adventures in London
Let’s see what little corners along the Glen might be hosting one of the delights of early spring…
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