Meadow Flower - Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca) - from the Photography of Paul L.G. Morris

Last year, when I had my smallholding in Wales, I was almost overwhelmed by the different wild plants that I was able to photograph on the smallholding. So many that I am still trying to catch up - and we are well into a new season in a new location, so I don't know if I will ever catch up!

The photos I am featuring this week are of a wild flower in the meadows: the Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca). This plant is a member of the pea family which means that it puts nitrogen back into the soil so is an important plant to help maintain the fertility of the soil.

This first photograph is an extreme close up of the flower head of this plant. From a distance it looks small and insignificant. Closer up it has beautiful shades of pink, lilac and blue.

The second image below shows the whole plant, again in the 'studio' (a cardboard box with a black card background). You can see that it had tendrils for gripping on other plants as it climbs - just like a pea plant.

This third photograph shows the plant in the meadow. Close up it really stands out against the green background of the grasses and other plants. I find a lot of beauty in the plants that are often overlooked in favour of showier garden flowers, but are stunning in their own right.