Devil's bit scabious is a quirky name for a strking late season flower. Apparently the roots are short & truncated as if the devil has had a bite from them, and the flower was used to treat scabies. In the west it often occurs in open ground around woodland (there's hazel in the background of these pictures). It plays an important part in the life cycle of the marsh fritillary butterfly, another species which increasingly threatened elsewhere but which is thriving in Argyll. Marsh fritillary were spotted about 200 yards from this flower for the first time this summer.
This second picture shows the flower in full bloom, when it's also very attractive to bees.
Devil's bit scabious is a quirky name for a strking late season flower. Apparently the roots are short & truncated as if the devil has had a bite from them, and the flower was used to treat scabies. In the west it often occurs in open ground around woodland (there's hazel in the background of these pictures). It plays an important part in the life cycle of the marsh fritillary butterfly, another species which increasingly threatened elsewhere but which is thriving in Argyll. Marsh fritillary were spotted about 200 yards from this flower for the first time this summer.
This second picture shows the flower in full bloom, when it's also very attractive to bees.
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