Hellebores at the airport

It’s not often you find hellebores growing by the side of the road in Britain, least of all by the entrance to one of London’s major airports. But on the way to lecture in Essex on Sunday, I rounded a corner by London’s Stansted Airport and came upon this drift of British native stinking hellebores, Helleborus foetidus, growing right by the side of the road (click to enlarge).

Quick look in the mirror, screech to a stop, take a quick snap through the passenger side the window and on the way without disrupting traffic or getting hit by a truck. The point-and-shoot is always ready, just in case.

The plants are growing amongst the British native dogwood, Cornus officinalis, with its dark red stems and really light up this shady bank. Even though the flowers are not yet open – it’s the pale leafy bracts that are so bright.